A man saves his wife in a fire, dies with his son, the electric bike to blame?

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Two people in Nanjing have been killed in a fire believed to be the result of charging from an e-bike. It is a tragedy highlighting the real dangers posed by the negligence of those who think of convenience rather than safety.

The fire broke out on Dec. 12 at a fourth-floor apartment in Yueyuan Yicun Residential Community off Yingyuan Nan Lu in Nanjings Xuanwu District, not far from Hongshan Forest Zoo.

During the fire, the owner of the property, a man believed to be in his 40s, managed to get his wife to safety only to return inside the flat in search of their 18-year-old son.

Tragically, however, the man and his son died in the fire. The fire had also spread to apartments above the fifth and sixth floors and largely engulfed them.

The following day, December 13, Hongshan Police Station personnel told reporters that the fire was the result of charging a battery of electric bicycles. Police are continuing to investigate, reports The Paper.

The two deaths are reminiscent of another tragic fire in Nanjing in August 2020, as this publication reported at the time.

That’s when a fire from the battery of an e-bike parked in a typical alleyway spread to the adjacent residential building, igniting an apartment there.

The fire quickly spread to other e-bikes parked nearby. Shortly after, a large fire escalated in the adjacent building, setting fire to a third-floor apartment. The fire there caused the death of three women; a mother and her daughter plus another relative of the family.

The owner of the bike was arrested on suspicion of causing the fire after spending 13,000 to customize the bike. Among the modifications was the installation of a battery other than the factory standard.

In later court hearings, the owners’ actions in modifying the bike were found to present a possible safety risk that could have been foreseen. The owner was sentenced to a prison term of 3 and a half years.

The message should now be clear; Electric bicycle batteries are a potential fire hazard. Readers of The Nanjinger are reminded that e-bikes should not be charged at home and no batteries other than factory standard should be used.

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