Five injured after E-Scooter battery explosion
In the night, an explosion occurs in a multi-family house in North Rhine-Westphalia, causing a fire. Five people are injured. The trigger is said to be the battery of an E-Scooter.
At a residential fire in Mülheim an der Ruhr, five people were injured. According to the police, the residents of a third-floor apartment reportedly heard strange noises from an E-Scooter battery that was being charged in their apartment around 10:30 pm on Sunday evening. Shortly afterwards, the battery apparently exploded, causing the fire.
The residents were unsuccessful in trying to extinguish the flames themselves and escape. Firefighters from several municipalities arrived at the scene.
One person was rescued from the affected apartment using a ladder, another was extracted through the heavily smoke-filled stairwell with a rescue helmet, reported the "Bild" newspaper. In total, five tenants were treated by the paramedics for light smoke inhalation. A resident of the burned-out apartment suffered a shock, which was treated at the hospital.
Police spokesman Thomas Leipold stated in an interview with the "Bild" newspaper that there were initial indications of a technical defect in the battery. The E-Scooter battery allegedly exploded during the charging process. However, the investigations regarding this matter are not yet complete. The provisional damage assessment is estimated to be around 200,000 Euros.
The International Fire Department association expressed concern over the incident, highlighting the need for safer charging practices with E-Scooter batteries. Despite the efforts of the Fire department from various municipalities, the extent of the fire damage was significant, amounting to approximately 200,000 Euros.
