A MAN was forced to flee through a bedroom window after a house erupted into flames when an e-bike battery exploded.
Shocking pictures shared online show the charred remains of the bike and staircase of the property in Leicester.
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The devastating blaze on Oakthorpe Avenue occurred just before 9pm last night.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service say a lithium battery in the e-bike overheated and caused a “severe” fire.
Alarming images from the scene show the bike left a mangled wreck with the interior of the house left a smoking wreck.
The man was rescued from a bedroom window at the rear of the home by firefighters.
The blaze in the hallway of the home caused “severe” damage to the ground floor and further “severe smoke and heat damage” to the first floor, a fire service spokeswoman said.
The fire service reminded e-bike owners to use the correct charger, never leave the device unattended and allow the battery to cool before charging.
The fire service said: “Green Watch attended a house fire involving an e-bike which was on charge.
“One person was successfully rescued from the first floor. Great team work alongside colleagues from Western, Eastern and Wigston stations.
“It takes seconds for a lithium-ion battery fire to spread.”
The inhabitants of the property were assessed at the scene by East Midlands Ambulance, however nobody was admitted to hospital, the spokeswoman said.
Two fire crews were initially called to the scene from Western and Central Stations.
A further two crews were later dispatched to the property from Wigston and Eastern Stations.
The fire led to road closures in Oakthorpe Avenue and nearby Wyngate Drive, between the junctions of Hinckley Road and Dorchester Road.
Leicestershire Police reported that the roads were reopened at 2.30am today.
The dangers of e-bikes
Last year, 11 people lost their lives to fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, with hundreds injured as a result of the fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries.
Other victims include Sofia Duarte, who died in London on New Year’s Day 2023 at the age of 21, when a converted e-bike caught fire during the night.
Sofia was unable to escape the building with the fire blocking her escape route.
Alda Simoes, a friend of Ms Duarte, said: “We are out of time to save our beautiful Sofia and everyone that has passed away like her.
“But we will do everything in our power to prevent others going through what Sofia’s mum, me, family and friends are going through.
“This problem is a public safety issue that needs action from all political parties to introduce new measures to tackle the increasingly problem of e-bike battery fires.
“The number of these fires caused by these batteries keeps rising and we urgently need intervention to protect the public.
“Change needs to happen. There are people dying, what are we waiting for? Sofia’s death must have a purpose. If nothing changes, her death will be in vain.
“I am urging the next Government and all political parties to please, help us create change.”
On March 21, fire crews were called to an exploding e-bike on a train platform in Sutton, London, with dramatic footage showing flaming battery cells being projected from the battery across the platform.
Fire crews in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were called to a property fire on April 6 following a severe fire that resulted in one person being taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The cause was deemed to be a charging e-bike.
Five others suffered minor injuries.
Four children were among six people taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation following an e-bike fire near Croydon at the beginning of April that caused serious damage to their maisonette, destroying the staircase between the first and second floor