Watch: Fire caused by faulty e-bike batteries blows out window

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service share footage to urge people to only buy from reputable retailers

Fire engine
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A video of a window being blown out by a house fire caused by modified e-bike batteries has been released by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) as it urges people to only buy from reputable retailers.

The fire in Failsworth, Oldham, is shown in footage from last week. GMFRS said that the incident was caused by a number of faulty modified e-bikes.

Billy Fenwich, GFMRS' head of prevention area manager, said: "This incident shows the devastating effects that a fire involving an electric bike battery can have.

“Batteries can be a fire risk if they’re over-charged, short circuited, or damaged, so it’s important to protect them against being damaged and to charge them safely.

“By following our advice on the storage and charging of electric bikes and scooters, Greater Manchester residents can help to keep themselves safe from fire.”

The advice is: 

Earlier this year, 60 firefighters from London Fire Brigade (LFB) attended a large fire in West London which took place less than a mile from Grenfell Tower, the site of the 2017 tragic blaze that killed 72 people. An investigation by LFB found the fire was caused by a faulty e-bike battery. 

It said that in 2022 it had attended 32 fires involving e-bikes. A further 17 incidents had been reported this year involving other lithium-ion batteries, the type commonly used in e-bikes.  

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.