Whitechapel: Man seen dangling from window to escape e-bike fire

An image captured by a neighbour shows one of the men dangling from a window

Firefighters have revealed how they had to rescue two men from a window ledge after a large fire broke out in an east London flat.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the blaze at the third-floor flat in Whitechapel, east London, on 7 February was caused by an e-bike on charge.

Two men could not escape because their exit was blocked by fire and attempted to escape out of the window.

They were rescued by firefighters from the window using ladders.

The fire service said it showed "just how dangerous blocking your escape route can be".

Danny McLaughlin, 64, a neighbour who watched one of the rescues unfold and captured it on his phone, said: "I heard shouting that woke me up. I looked out of one of my windows and saw one of the men hanging from a third-floor window ledge in the neighbouring block.

"His legs were being held, to stop him falling, by a neighbour in the window of the flat below the fire. 

"A lot of residents are now worried about the prospect of e-bike or e-scooter battery fires in these blocks and whether we will be trapped or hurt if another incident occurs."

A long ladder was used to rescue two people inside the Whitechapel flat

Two other people managed to get out of the flat and a woman was taken to hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation and most of the flat was damaged by fire and smoke.

LFB said the fire was being treated as accidental.

The brigade said it was believed to have been caused by the failure of a lithium battery pack for a converted e-bike that was charging in the hallway of the flat.

Borough commander for Tower Hamlets, Richard Tapp, said there were a number of e-bikes being stored in the hallway.

"You should keep an e-bike or e-scooter outside or in a shed. If this is not possible, put it in a room where you can shut a door and contain a fire," he said.

"Although the smoke alarm sounded, this incident also highlights the risks of charging whilst people are sleeping as there is less time to react before the fire intensifies."

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