In New York City, e-battery-related fires are up a whopping 233% in just two years, resulting in 163 injuries and 10 deaths, according to the New York City Fire Department. Many fires are caused by overcharging or faulty batteries, experts say.
Experts are sounding the alarm about the potential fire dangers associated with some electric scooters and bikes. Some e-batteries can explode and turn them into fireballs.
It happened to Daniel and Linda Jones of Pittsburg, California, who lost everything when they say their electric scooter burst into flames.
“It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever gone through,” Daniel said.
The devastated homeowner says the flames quickly spread to the entire garage and the whole front of the house. Their home was completely destroyed.
According to the New York City Fire Department, e-battery-related fires are up a whopping 233% in just two years, resulting in 163 injuries and 10 deaths, including 5-year-old Erica Williams, who died when her Harlem apartment building went up in flames.
Electrical engineer Brad Davis says many fires are caused by overcharging or faulty batteries. To demonstrate, he and his team took a fully-charged battery in good condition, before deliberately overcharging it inside a fake living room at the New Haven Fire Training Academy in Connecticut.
Fifty-two minutes later, the battery started to smoke and burst into flames.
Even under careful supervision and a controlled environment, an Inside Edition cameraman had a close call with the blaze. Two minutes later, the entire room was engulfed.
Davis says the fast-spreading fire is typical of what he’d expect to happen in a real-life scenario.
Safety experts say it's critical to always follow the manufacturer's instructions for charging and storing your e-bike or scooter battery.
