E-bike Blamed for South Ealing Flat Fire
22 people had to flee block when it burst into flames
e-bikes are believed to be responsible for an increasing number of fire. Picture: LFB
April 30, 2024
Over 22 people had to flee from a block of flats in South Ealing after an e-bike burst into flames.
The first call was received by the Fire Brigade at 10:51pm on Friday 26 April and four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were sent to the scene on South Road. Fire crews from Ealing, Acton, Chiswick and Heston fire stations were in attendance.
Two men had already left the two roomed ground floor flat where the fire broke out as well as 20 other occupants on the block. The men from the flat were assessed by ambulance paramedics.
The firefighters had the fire under control just after midnight.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has reissued the following safety advice for all e-bike and e-scooter users to follow:
- Never block your escape route with anything, including e-bikes and e-scooters. Store them somewhere away from a main through route. Store these items in a safe location if possible, such as a garage or a shed.
- Do not attempt to modify or tamper with your battery. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Converting pedal bikes into e-bikes using DIY kits bought online can be very dangerous. They pose a higher risk of fire.
- Check your battery and charger meets UK safety standards. Watch out for signs that the battery or charger aren’t working as they should – if it’s hot to the touch or has changed shape.
- Always use the correct charger and buy an official one from a reputable seller. LFB has particular concern where batteries have been purchased from online marketplaces and when they've been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards.
- Let the battery cool before charging. Batteries can get warm during their use and it is advisable to allow them to cool down before attempting to re-charge as they could be more susceptible to failure. If you are charging batteries indoors, please follow LFB advice on safe charging.
- Unplug your charger once it’s finished charging. Always follow manufacturers’ instructions when charging and we would advise not to leave it unattended or while people are asleep.
- Fit alarms where you charge. Ensure you have smoke alarms fitted in areas where e-bikes or e-scooters are being charged and make sure they are tested regularly. You can quickly and easily check your home by visiting LFB’s free online home fire safety checker tool.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |