Dramatic footage showing the moment an e-scooter caught fire in a man’s kitchen has been released by the London Fire Brigade (LFB). The video shows the vehicle exploding at a home in Brent, northwest London, last Saturday, May 13, causing a fire that consumed the room in seconds. The camera catching the incident was rapidly obscured by billowing smoke that sent the scooter’s owner, security guard Dell Williams, to hospital.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Williams, 37, said he felt “lucky to be alive” after escaping his flat “in one piece”.
He added that he received eight hours of hospital care for smoke inhalation following the incident.
Luckily, neither he nor any of the flat’s other residents were in the kitchen at the time, but, nevertheless, Mr Williams said he felt he “cheated death”.
The security guard added that he was “so grateful that no one else was hurt”, and his eyes were opened following the explosion.
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He has pledged to change how he stores the scooter and warned others not to keep their vehicles in the house.
Instead, Mr Williams urged other owners to charge their scooters outside if they can.
The LFB has built on those warnings, with the service eager to prevent further accidents.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said fires caused by e-scooters are becoming increasingly common.
He said scooter batteries enter “thermal runaway”, a process whereby a series of reactions causes an uncontrollable rise in temperature.
These can ignite fires that develop “very quickly” and eventually “block escape routes”.
He described the flames caused by thermal runaway as “ferocious”, adding the batteries also cause other hazards.
In the lead-up to lithium-ion battery explosions, the batteries release “a range of gases”.
Mr Ellis said the white and grey smoke emanating from the scooter in the video “is not harmless” .
The white and grey-coloured smoke is not harmless, as Mr William’s case proves, and the deputy commissioner urged people to install fire alarms wherever they keep the vehicle.
But the security guard’s situation was not unique, with the LFB having attended dozens of fires related to e-bikes and scooters.
Over the last five months, the brigade has recorded 48 e-bike incidents and 12 with scooters in London alone.
