A man is 'lucky to be alive' after an e-bike caught fire, causing his home to go up in flames. He told firefighters he is deaf and was woken by the smell of smoke.
A fire broke out at the ground-floor flat as the electric bike was charging in the living room. The man woke up in the early hours of June 16 to find smoke billowing through his home and frantically called for help.
The man said he woke up by chance and explained to firefighters through his friend that he was deaf and had not heard the smoke alarms activating. He was woken waking by the smell of smoke coming into his room.
Three fire crews were deployed to the property and were able to get the fire under control, Chronicle Live reports. However it had caused significant damage to the property and the resident has had to move out as a result of the fire, the fire service said.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said the man was "lucky to be alive" and confirmed the fire broke out as the bike was charging overnight. Station Manager Dale Howey of Tyne and Wear Fire Service said “Fortunately this resident was woken up by the smell of the fire and we are so thankful that they did.
“The fire caused a significant amount of damage to the property, and as we’ve seen a rise in people owning electric bikes and scooters in recent years, we strongly discourage you from charging electrical items when you can’t supervise them. Make sure you only ever charge any electrical items with the approved battery charger that comes with it as others might not have been tested to handle the power output and do not overload your sockets.
“And remember, if you hear noises from any electrical item or it starts to smoke, make sure you get everyone out of the house and call 999.”
Sensory smoke alarms can be fitted for those with hearing difficulties. They use a strobe light and vibrating pads to alert the occupants of the home that there is danger and they should evacuate the premises.
