The fires are typically triggered when the lithium battery of an e-bike becomes damaged or is charged using the wrong equipment, said Charlie Pugsley, the LFB’s deputy commissioner.
He said: “Growing e-bike ownership is a good thing if they help people get around and it supports our climate objectives.
“But what really worries us is the speed and severity of these battery fires when they break out.
“Each one has the potential to risk people’s lives in the home.”
In December last year, the LFB revealed how a mother and son were forced to jump from the first-floor windows of their home in Ilford, east London, after an e-bike that had been left charging overnight burst into flames indoors.
Both survived but had to be treated in hospital, while large sections of the house’s first floor and roof were destroyed.
The amount of energy packed into lithium batteries makes them particularly dangerous when they explode, leading to fierce flames and billowing smoke that fills the area within seconds, Mr Pugsley said.
“We’ve seen shocking examples of people hanging out their windows because they can’t get out of their flat,” he added.
As part of its #chargesafe campaign, the LFB is now advising households not to charge e-bikes when they are sleeping, to avoid placing them next to exits or stairs that could block escape routes and to always use the correct charger, among other things . Where possible, households have been advised to store them outside or in outbuildings.
However, Mr Pugsley raised concerns that the fire trend could be made worse by the growing spread of illegal e-bikes with more powerful motors and batteries, as well as DIY conversion kits that can lead people to charge batteries with the wrong equipment.
