A family home has been destroyed by a fire suspected to be caused by a charging e-bike this morning.
While all human occupants are safe, we understand the family dog was injured and later died, and that the property, on Eucalyptus Place in Warriewood, could not be saved.
NSW Fire and Rescue received a call that a residence had caught fire at around 11am this morning, 18 November. Six fire trucks and 22 firefighters attended the scene and managed to extinguish the flames before it spread to neighbouring properties. However, the house could not be saved.
The owner of the property told Manly Observer the e-bike which was likely to have caused the spark was a “second generation model” that they’ve had for some years. He was relieved no one was home at the time of the incident, however, it is the family is naturally devastated to have lost their dog. Firefighters recovered the pet in a critical condition but it died shortly after, most likely due to smoke inhalation.
Neighbours reported hearing loud explosions from the garage where the fire originated from, while also witnessing green flames engulfing the garage door which melted away shortly after.
NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry says there have been over 90 e-bike related fires across the state this year – including one at a Newtown residence just last night.
“The message is that e-bikes are a great convenience, but they do come with a risk,” Superintendent Dewberry said, following up with some e-bike battery safety tips.
“Be very careful buying online, especially cheap imports or second hand. Have the right charger for the right battery. Do not mix and match, do not modify and never leave your batteries on charge when you’re not at home or when you are asleep, and always make sure you have those working smoke alarms.
“The signs that your battery is starting to come to end of life, which makes it vulnerable to a fire, is it’s not holding charge anymore, it’s starting to bulge, or it’s overheating more often than it normally had when operating. So they’re the signs that you need to look out for.”
Although the cause of the fire is suspected to be a fire ignited by an e-bike lithium-ion battery, NSW Fire and Rescue are still investigating what exactly went wrong.
Meanwhile, the Warriewood family have a long road of rebuilding ahead.
