WATCH: charging electric bicycle bursts into flames inside house

The dangers of electric bicycles and e-scooters has been highlighted again by the fire service with dramatic footage showing how quickly they can burst into flames. 

The dangers of charging electric bicycles and scooters are well known, Dublin Fire Brigade said.

While incidents can be rare, the fire service points out that such fires do happen.

When an e-scooter catches fire, batteries on fire will experience a ‘Thermal Runaway’, the fire service explained. It says hundreds of litres per minute of water are then needed to control it.

The advice to householders is to get out of the area as soon as possible. 

The fire service advised people to buy from reputable retailers

Dublin City Council recently published a guide on buying such items. 

If you choose to buy online from an auction site or company which is unfamiliar to you, you may be compromising your consumer rights and warranty.

You may also be risking your safety. The product may not reach the safety standards that you expect, their advice states.

The council urges people to make sure the e-scooter, e-bicycle or hoverboard has a genuine CE mark, but do not rely on this solely.

Information on identifying genuine or counterfeit CE marks can be found on the website of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission www.ccpc.ie/consumers/product-safety/product-safety/#CEMark