E-Bike Batteries Spark House Fire

A Washington Township family got a nasty reminder Thursday night that an e-bike battery can turn from convenient to dangerous in a hurry. Callers reported a structure fire around 7:30 p.m. and said everyone had made it safely out of the house. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the house itself was not burning. The problem was e-bike batteries on fire inside the home. Firefighters were able to get the flames under control within about 10 minutes of arriving, keeping the incident from becoming a much larger house fire. That was the lucky part. Lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes can overheat, ignite, or even explode if they are damaged, defective, improperly charged, or paired with the wrong charger. They also burn extremely hot and can produce toxic gases. NFPA Don’t Charge Them and Forget Them The Consumer Product Safety Commission says people should stay home and awake while charging e-bikes, use only the charger supplied or approved by the manufacturer, and unplug the battery once charging is finished. CPSC specifically warns against charging these devices overnight while everyone is asleep. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission And that cheap “universal” charger that happens to fit? Maybe skip it. CPSC warns that a charger can physically plug into an e-bike and still be electrically incompatible enough to start a fire. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Watch for Warning Signs Stop using a battery if it starts getting unusually hot, swelling, leaking, smoking, changing shape or color, giving off a strange odor, or suddenly refusing to hold a charge. NFPA Keep e-bikes and batteries away from doors and exits so a fire doesn’t block the way out. Charge them on a hard surface, away from anything easily flammable, and outside when practical. NFPA And if a lithium-ion battery does catch fire, get out and call 911 rather than trying to play firefighter yourself. NFPA warns these fires can grow quickly and burn extremely hot. NFPA In this case, everyone was already out, firefighters got there quickly, and what initially sounded like a full structure fire stayed confined to the batteries. That is about as good an ending as you can hope for when lithium batteries start burning inside a house.

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