When Joanne Frost, 42, returned to her two-bed house one morning last June, she was confronted by roaring flames jumping out of her windows.
Her teenage son’s e-bike, which was in the front room, had gone up in flames, devastating her home of 24 years.
Photos from the aftermath show that the bike was almost completely destroyed – with just the back wheel and part of the frame remaining.
Joanne said: “My son was in there, his friend, and a dog – he just heard a bang.
Joanne’s house during the fire (Image: Joanne Frost / SWNS)
“He opened his bedroom door and he just heard noises and smoke, he was stuck in his bedroom.
“He opened up the windows and a man across the road, luckily, was outside painting the front of the house.
“He came over with the ladder and managed to get the boys out.
The house went up in just 15 minutes, Joanne said (Image: London Fire Brigade)
“The dog was stuck in there for a while, but we managed to get him out.
“It literally just went up in 15 minutes. The house was just gone.”
The fire completely destroyed Joanne’s ceilings, sofa, and her newly-bought kitchen appliances.
She has since been living in temporary accommodation for 10 months, and even had to live in a Travelodge for six weeks.
Olly, 16, was gifted the bike for his 15th birthday.
During the eight months he had it, he said he would ‘drive’ the bike around the park and to see friends.
Damage done to Joanne’s house (Image: London Fire Brigade)
Joanne said she and her son have been left with post traumatic stress disorder from the fire – and the only thing she leaves plugged in now is her fridge.
She warned others to make sure they knew what they were buying.
The devastated mother said: “If you’re going to buy a bike, make sure you buy one from a proper shop.
“Don’t buy one of the converted kits. Don’t charge it at night-time.
“If you’re going to charge it, do it in the garden, don’t charge it in your house at all – at least if it does blow up, it blows up outside, not in your property.
Crews tackle the fire (Image: Joanne Frost / SWNS)
“I’ve become very paranoid about everything now – I don’t charge my mobile phone overnight.
“I make sure the plugs are all turned off.”
She feels there needs to be stricter regulations on the makers and suppliers of e-bike batteries.
Joanne added: “[E-bikes] should be tested properly, these batteries need to be tested properly.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson advised storing an e-bike or e-scooter outdoors in an external location such as a garage or shed.
“However, we understand that this is not possible for everyone.
“If you keep an e-bike or e-scooter indoors, make sure it is never being stored or charged on an escape route, such as a hallway, by the front door or on or under a staircase.
“Instead, have it in a room away from the door, where in the event of a fire, you can shut the door and get everyone to safety.”
In the UK, road-legal e-bikes can be ridden by anyone aged 14 or over, as long as they are an ‘electrically assisted pedal cycle’.
To comply with the law, they must have pedals that can be used to propel it, and the motor must cut out when travelling at more than 15.5 mph.
Those that can be propelled at more than this speed by the motor, don’t have pedals, or have a continuous rated power output higher than 250 watts, are considered motorbikes under the law and must be taxed and insured.
Reporting by SWNS.
