Family home destroyed by e-bike battery fire days before Christmas

A house in London was destroyed by a fire caused by a charging second-hand e-bike that exploded just days before Christmas.

Footage released by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) shows a property in Renshaw Close, Catford, engulfed in flames with several bangs and explosions.

The blaze was “yet another example of the catastrophic consequences that can occur if e-bikes and e-scooters are not charged or stored safely,” LFB said.

Three people were inside the house when the e-bike battery burst into flames on the first floor. One person escaped unharmed through the front door, but two others in a converted loft were forced to climb through a skylight on to the roof.

One male fell from the roof and suffered serious injuries, while a woman slipped but was caught by a firefighter, and later treated for smoke inhalation.