E-bike battery likely cause of Warriewood house fire
An e-bike lithium-ion battery was the likely cause of a housefire that destroyed a home in Eucalyptus Place in Warriewood on 18 November.
Fire and Rescue NSW received a call at 11.10am and firefighters arrived shortly after to heavy fire activity in the garage, which was starting to spread through the two-level home.
It took about two hours for six fire trucks and 22 firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
The occupants had self-evacuated, and firefighters rescued the family dog, which died from smoke inhalation.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry from Fire and Rescue NSW said that following investigations, the likely cause of the fire was an e-battery that was charging in the garage.
“The occupants have reported that the battery wasn’t working as well as it had been, which is one of the signs that a battery is at its end of life and can be a risk,” said Spt Dewberry.
“My advice to people is not only make sure you’ve got the right charger for the right battery and buying from a reputable retailer, but also just monitor your batteries.
“When their performance starts to drop off, dispose of it at the appropriate recycling facility.”
Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps responded to the incident on social media, stating that the Federal Government had been ‘woefully slow to act on e-bike regulation.’
“How many more accidents, fatalities and fires need to happen before they step up?” asked Dr Scamps. “Most e-bike battery fires come from poor-quality or damaged products – fires that could be avoided with proper standards. The Federal Government has a role to play. It’s time they acted.”
Dr Scamps introduced a safer e-bikes bill to Parliament in September to address the issue of imported e-bikes which do not meet safety or quality standards.
Dr Scamps’ bill aims to reinstate e-bikes under the Road Vehicle Standards Act and require compliance with international best practice safety standards. For example, the European standard outlines safety requirements for the design, assembly and testing of electrical power assisted cycles.
On 18 November, Northern Beaches Police Area Command carried out an e-bike operation in Narrabeen as part of Operation Kilowatt, issuing fines and cautions to young e-bike riders at Berry Reserve. Police joined council officers to raise awareness about the laws of riding e-bikes in public, distributing information packs and answering questions from the community.