‘Food delivery driver’ suffers life-changing injuries from e-bike fire
A man believed to be a food delivery driver was left with life-changing injuries after he tried to put out an e-bike fire.
It comes as the London Fire Brigade warned that there have been 137 fires involving an e-bike or e-scooter this year alone, in which three people died and 50 more were injured.
The brigade said there have already been more battery fires in 2023 than all of 2022.
In the latest incident, the man sustained burns to several parts of his body after his e-bike caught fire inside his bedroom in a flat in Highgate, north London on 12 September.
He tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher before firefighters arrived and put out the blaze.
An investigation by the London Fire Brigade found that the e-bike was charging when it caught fire and that the charger had been bought online the day before.
It is the latest in a spate of e-bike fires in London.
On 13 September, a shop was damaged in Bow, east London when an e-bike battery failed.
Nobody was hurt but 40 firefighters were needed to put out the blaze.
Just a few days earlier, 80 firefighters responded to two separate fires – both were believed to have been caused by lithium batteries in e-bikes failing.
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A man’s e-bike bursts into flames in May – it is one a several recent e-bike fires in London
One of the fires happened in a third-floor flat in Holborn, central London, while an e-bike that was charging in a garden in Penge, southeast London caught fire and spread to a block of flats.
The London Fire Brigade has warned the public about the dangers of lithium batteries, that are commonly used in e-bikes and e-scooters, as part of their Charge Safe campaign.
The brigade urged e-bike owners to always use the correct charger and to buy it from a reputable seller.
Read more:
E-bike battery exploded and fire ripped through home
E-bike owners urged to check if chargers are appropriate
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: “We strongly recommend calling us immediately if there is a fire, but particularly if it involves your e-bike or e-scooter.
“Fires involving lithium batteries, which power these vehicles, can be ferocious, producing jets of flame. The blaze is also hot enough to melt through metal,” he said.
The damage to a shop in Bow, east London after an e-bike fire Pic: London Fire Brigade
“This type of fire produces a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled. The fire can also be extremely challenging to put out.
“This incident, and the severe injuries sustained by this e-bike owner, highlights why you should never tackle a lithium battery fire. Our advice is to get out and call 999.”
The London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee wrote to the government on Monday raising “serious concerns” over the regulation of these vehicles and called for the Department for Business and Trade to outline what action it is taking to address the issue.
Meanwhile, Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, warned: “Online marketplaces are a hotbed for substandard e-bike chargers.
The aftermath of the Penge fire Pic: London Fire Brigade
“Incompatible chargers can supply an e-bike battery with too much voltage causing a catastrophic fire and we want to see a ban on universal chargers that risk doing exactly this.
“Until online marketplaces are regulated like our high street stores, fires will continue.
“Time is of the essence and our Battery Breakdown report offers the government extensive solutions to tackle this issue that is claiming lives across the country.”
The e-bike involved in the Penge fire Pic: London Fire Brigade
Private e-scooters cannot be legally used on roads or pavements in the UK but have become common, particularly in urban areas.
It is legal to ride an e-bike as long as it meets certain requirements.
They must be pedal-assisted and have an electric motor with a maximum power output of 250 watts and that does not propel the bike when it is travelling faster than 15.5mph.
E-bikes are often used by food delivery riders eager to make journeys as quickly as possible as they earn money based on the number of customers they serve.
Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.
It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.
However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.
Captain Virgil van Dijk (centre) celebrates. Pic: Reuters
Salah on his knees in celebration after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott (below) and Jarell Quansah celebrate after full-time. Pic: PA
Slot cheers after the full-time whistle. Pic: AP
In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.
The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.
“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”
Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas poses with a Premier League trophy cut out. Pic: Reuters
Manager Arne Slot and his team after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.
He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”
Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.
Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.
Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans after scouring the fourth Liverpool goal. Pic: AP
Fans at Anfield during the game. Pic: AP
Fans in the stands at Anfield before full-time. Pic: Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.
It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.
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Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
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