A B.C. man was shocked when his e-bike burst into flames, with little warning.
He was also able to capture it on camera.
Richard Smith had just set out for a ride on his e-bike from his home in Castlegar to the local Canada Day festivities when he said he felt heat near his leg.
Within seconds of realizing what was happening, he hopped off the bike and it immediately burst into flames, shooting sparks and flames in every direction.
“It was probably 30 seconds, that’s when everything started popping, and I knew enough to back away and stay away,” Smith told Global News.
“And then people started coming out because they thought it was fireworks going off.”
Smith said one neighbour brought out a hose to douse the flames but Smith cautioned against it, as he didn’t know how water would react with a battery fire.
“I just know enough to let it ride, make sure no one’s going to get hurt, nothing’s going catch on fire,” Smith added.
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When the flames finally died, Smith said the bike was melted to the road.
He said the battery came with the bike and he read up on charging times and how to properly handle them so he thought he had done everything right.
“As soon as it started to catch on fire, I said, I was only at my house, you know like five minutes ago,” Smith added.
“That could have been my house going up.”
Fires involving rechargeable batteries are becoming more common.
Last Saturday, an e-bike store in Surrey caught fire and two weeks before, a Vancouver home was significantly damaged after an e-bike caught fire in the basement.
According to the City of Vancouver, in order to care for a battery, people should:
- Buy devices that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory (for example, it has the UL mark for Underwriters Laboratory)
- Always follow manufacturer’s instructions
- Only use the charging cord that came with the device
- Never charge a device under your pillow, on your bed, or under your couch
- Keep batteries at room temperature, do not place in direct sunlight, or keep in hot vehicles
- Store batteries away from anything that can catch fire
- Never disassemble or alter batteries in an attempt to enhance their performance
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