The owner of an e-bike that went up in flames on Sunday, April 24, 2022 in Brighton said he’d never own another.
Steven Cooper said he’d just bought the e-bikes from a friend and was driving around Brighton with his girlfriend when they decided to stop in at The Whistling Duck Restaurant at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The e-bikes were in the back of his girlfriends pickup truck when they caught fire.
“The bikes just exploded in the back,” said Cooper speaking from his home in Carrying Place on Monday.
“I’ve never seen anything that intense in my life.”
The two charred e-bikes sitting outside his garage.
As soon as the truck pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant they noticed the flames in the bed of the pickup.
The waitress quickly called 9-1-1.
Cooper said the back of the truck was an “inferno.”
The fire started in the battery area of one of the e-bikes and pressure from the battery fire spread the flames.
These were the first two e-bikes that Cooper has purchased and previously he had no concerns.
After witnessing the fire in the bed of the pickup truck, Cooper said, he’d “never again” own one again.
Both e-bikes were in his friends garage the previous night and would have likely been in his garage on Sunday evening.
Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal spokesperson Sean Driscoll said “Lithium-Ion batteries are increasingly common in our lives and can overheat, catch fire or explode if they are not charged properly.”
The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) would like to remind everyone of the importance of proper storage and charging practices for batteries. Do not store batteries where they can touch metal, like coins, or keys, such as in a pocket or handbag.
Never overload a circuit, always check for frayed wires and use the manufacturer’s approved, certified charger for charging lithium-ion batteries. Please only use approved batteries purchased from a trusted source. While it may seem like an economical way to power your e-bike, we do not recommend using homemade batteries.
With the fire in Brighton and a previous fire in Cobourg on April 11, 2022, both weren’t being charged at the time.
Driscoll said, the OFM keeps a report on all fires investigated, including batteries that may have resulted in fire caused by a battery.
“Through our fire investigations, we have determined that more than one fire involving a battery charging process has been deemed to be the cause of a fire ranging from industrial appliances to computers.”
“Specifically for e-bikes, we have determined at least one fire incident that was the result of a battery. A recent incident involving an e-bike has led to another fire however, at this time, the investigation remains ongoing and it is too early to determine the cause of the fire.”
VIDEO – E-Bike Battery Catches Fire and Explodes Moments After Being Removed from Cobourg Home
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
