The Brigade is asking businesses including rail operators to consider their risk assessments after crews were called to an e-bike fire on a platform at a railway station.
Fire crews from Sutton fire station were called to the railway station at 1732 (on Thursday 21 March 2024) during the busy rush-hour period as commuters make their way home. The bike owner bought the e-bike from an online marketplace four months beforehand with no issues arising since the purchase. He was travelling to Crystal Palace on the train and fortunately was waiting for his train on the platform when the e-bike burst into flames.
Sahab Singh (25) from Sutton bought the e-bike from an online marketplace four months ago. He said: “I never had any problems with the e-bike until the day of the fire. I was travelling to work in Crystal Palace. The bike started smoking on the train platform and then burst into flames. I feel lucky that I escaped and no one was injured. It was very scary.”
Station Officer Nigel McLachlan was at the scene of the incident, he said: “The fire was really ferocious and happened extremely quickly. It would have been devastating if the timings had worked out differently. I hate to think of the tragic consequences it could have had. Thankfully no one was injured.
“This incident only serves to highlight that when buying these products, it's very important to purchase them from a reputable high street seller so you know the full history of the purchase. If items are bought from online marketplaces there is more risk that the bike is sold without the correct battery and charger which can lead to a catastrophic fire.”
Deputy Commissioner Charlie Pugsley said: “Following this e-bike fire, we’re reminding businesses, including rail operators, to carefully consider their fire risk assessments and we’re encouraging transport operators to consider whether they have adequate safety measures in place should an e-bike fire happen on their service.”
"Since we launched our #ChargeSafe campaign we’ve been calling for much-needed legislation for online marketplaces to ensure products like batteries, chargers and conversion kits are strictly regulated. All too often these batteries fail if they are used with the wrong charger, are faulty or modified, counterfeit or become damaged.”
E bike and e scooter fires are the fastest growing fire trend in London. This year, there have been 31 e-bike fires and 9 e-scooter fires (from 1/1/24 to 4/4/24).
Safety tips for e-bike and e-scooter users to follow