Electric bike shop fire - Bethnal Green

The failure of a lithium ion batteries on a battery pack is believed to have caused a fire in a shop selling second hand electric bikes.

The fire was discovered when the staff heard a loud bang and smoke issuing from an electric bike. They removed the bike outside the shop on Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green.

A fire crew wearing breathing apparatus entered the shop and extinguished several small fires on the shop floor. Half of the bike and a small amount of the shop was damaged by the blaze.

While the firefighters were at the scene, a second electric bike started to ignite. The battery pack was removed from the bike by fire crews and the batteries from both bikes were submerged in water.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Batteries can present a fire risk if they’re over-charged, short circuited, submerged in water or damaged, so it’s really important to protect them against being damaged and to charge them safely.”

Firefighters' top three tips for using lithium-ion batteries safely

• Avoid storing, using or charging batteries at very high or low temperatures.
• Protect batteries against being damaged – that's crushed, punctured or immersed in water.
• Do not over charge your product - once your item is fully charged, disconnect it and turn the charger off.

The Brigade was called at 2255 and the fire was under control by 2311. Firefighters from Bethnal Green and Whitechapel fire stations were at the scene.