Warning issued after e-bike battery fire destroys Sheffield house

Firefighters have urged e-bike users to check their batteries after a charging battery caused a fire which devastated a house in Sheffield.

Three people were taken to hospital after jumping from a first-floor window to escape the blaze on Ecclesall Road on Sunday morning.

The fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery on a retro fitted e-bike.

Fire investigation officer Stephen Jones said it was an "incredibly dangerous situation".

Five other people in the property escaped unharmed.

Green Bridge Community Housing (GBCH), which owns the property, said the residents were all well and were being rehoused.

The fire service said the blaze had "completely destroyed" the house.

The battery was on charge alongside six other similar bikes in the living room of the property, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) said.

The ferocity at which lithium-ion batteries burn and explode caused the fire to engulf all three floors of the house in a short space of time, according to the fire service.

Mr Jones said: "The battery exploded and gave off intensive heat and toxic smoke. Seven bikes all in one room meant a hugely accelerated fire"

Mr Jones said he also had "huge concerns" when individuals transformed standard bikes into e-bikes using kits bought online.

"The danger is sometimes these souped-up bikes haven't gone through the UK safety requirements.

"People need to buy them from reputable supplies. Look for UK/EU safety marks," he said.

A total of 15 fires involving lithium-ion batteries were recorded in South Yorkshire in 2023, almost double the number that occurred in 2022.

Ade Parkin, group manager at SYFRS, said : "The people involved in these incidents are lucky to have escaped without serious injury."

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