An apartment building on central Dublin had to be evacuated due to a fire which has been linked to the battery of an e-bike even thought it was not being charged at the time it caused the blaze.
The bike was one of a number being stored in a communal area of the apartment block in south central Dublin. And when the fire took hold, Dublin Fire Brigade was alerted, clearing the building and bringing the fire under control.
The bike that went on fire was parked in a stairwell in the building, meaning the communal areas became a hazard, and were fill with smoke, as a result of the incident.
"This morning nine people were taken to safety following a fire off Francis Street," Dublin Fire Brigade said of the fire in The Liberties area of Dublin's south inner city.
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"An e-bike battery, not on charge, in a stairwell is believed to be the source of the fire. Firefighters are reminding residents to keep staircases clear as they are a primary escape route."
Dublin Fire Brigade has previously warned of the dangers involved when charging e-bikes indoors goes wrong, saying “pulsing” fires - with flames throw out repeatedly - can break-out when an e-bike or e-scooter catches fire while being charged. This is caused as each cell of a bike’s battery fails and produces gas which expands rapidly.
It urged people to buy e-bikes only from reputable retailers and to check for a genuine CE mark on the bikes. It added information on identifying genuine or counterfeit CE marks can be found on the website of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
