Hackney: Mum and son injured in e-bike fire

The mother jumped from the second-floor window and her son leapt from the first floor, the fire service said

A mother and son are in hospital after escaping a fire caused by an e-bike battery, London Fire Brigade said.

Most of the three-storey home in Hackney, east London, was destroyed by the blaze that started just after 03:00 GMT on Thursday.

The mother was seriously injured after she jumped from the second-floor window as flames on the ground floor blocked the exit route, the fire service said.

Her adult son was injured after he leapt from the first floor.

Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters responded to the blaze on King Edward's Road. They took almost two hours to bring the fire under control.

Charlie Pugsley, the brigade's assistant commissioner for fire safety, said: "This was a devastating fire that has destroyed a home and is a prime example of why the brigade has been running its ChargeSafe awareness campaign.

"If you own an e-bike or e-scooter, do not store or charge it on an escape route such as a hallway.

"If you can't keep it outside, put it in a room where you can shut a door and contain a fire."

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The Hackney blaze comes just days after a charging e-bike battery pack caught fire in the living room of a flat in Harringay, north London, which caused a teenager to suffer burns.

In London so far this year there have been 150 fires related to e-bikes and 28 to e-scooters, the fire service said.

The combined total is 53% above the figure for the whole of last year and makes them "the capital's fastest-growing fire trend", according to the brigade.

Firefighters were called to the blaze in Hackney just after 03:00 GMT on Thursday

Three people have died and about 60 people have been hurt in the fires this year.

The fire brigade believes there is a lack of safety standards for e-bikes and e-scooters.

Its ChargeSafe campaign urges e-bike and e-scooter owners to learn about what they can do to protect themselves and others.

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