'We lost everything in a converted e-bike fire'

A London bus driver is urging people to think about where they buy their e-bikes and parts, after he and his family escaped from a converted e-bike battery fire which ripped through his home.

Don Hettiarachchi, 49, from New Malden in south-west London, had to live in emergency accommodation for weeks after the fire in September.

He said: "Don’t think it won’t happen to you, because it happened to us, and my whole house was destroyed in less than 10 minutes by an exploding battery.”

It comes as new research suggests more than half (58%) of Londoners considering using a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal to buy an e-bike, e-scooter or conversion kit would do so from online marketplaces.

Mr Hettiarachchi has only just moved back into the top part of his home after the blaze.

He said his son’s e-bike - which was a second-hand bike converted into an electric one - had been charging for five hours in the conservatory at the back of the house before it burst into flames.

“I work night shifts and when I heard the smoke alarm, I initially thought it was some car alarms in the street outside," he said.

"Disorientated, I went to have a look and found the whole of the bottom floor of my home filled with smoke.

“Luckily, the smoke alarms alerted us to get out of the house. I woke my wife and son and we escaped outside."

“My wife is still suffering from shock at the moment. We both went to the doctor and took a month off work due to the stress," he said.

Mr Hettiarachchi added that because his father-in-law had been ill he forgot to renew his own house insurance and it expired before the fire, so they lost everything.

“My advice is to really do your homework before you buy. Make sure the e-bike battery and the charger are compatible with one another. Make sure you buy from a reputable seller that you know and trust," he said.

“Never leave them on charge unattended, in particular overnight, as you need to react should anything go wrong."

Research on e-bike and e-scooter buying habits was carried out by Censuswide for the charity Electrical Safety First and London Fire Brigade (LFB) and involved more than 2,000 Londoners.

About one in 5 said they would definitely consider taking advantage of a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal to purchase an e-bike, e-scooter or e-bike conversion kit.

LFB has been running its own ChargeSafe campaign, which advises members of the public to charge and store their e-bikes and e-scooters safely.

The brigade said it had attended 124 fires caused by e-bikes and 24 caused by e-scooters in London so far this year.

Its deputy assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, Richard Field, said: “We understand that people are trying to save money, but if you spot a deal this week that looks too be good to be true, it probably is."

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First commented: "Remember that safety starts with where you shop. Unknowingly buying a substandard e-bike, charger or conversion kit online could have serious consequences.”

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