– In recent years, we have seen an increase in fires from electric scooters, says Espen Johansen. He is the emergency manager of the Fredrikstad fire service. On the night of Friday, he was among the fire crew that responded to a fire in a row of garages in Lisleby. Four garages were completely damaged. The police’s main hypothesis is that the fire started in an electric scooter. – We are investigating whether the fire occurred in connection with the charging of an electric scooter. Both the charger and the electric scooter have been confiscated, says crime boss Geir Willadsen. A fire can occur in the batteries of electric scooters regardless of whether the vehicle is charging or not. Photo: Kripo’s Operations Manager Johansen has experienced several cases where electric scooters have been the cause of fires. – We are concerned about the potential danger of fire in electric scooters, and hope people are careful. – Fireworks in the living room In the past few weeks alone, the fire service has responded to several fires which probably started in electric scooters. In Halden, there was a fire in an apartment. At Klepp in Rogaland, a fire started in an office building and in the center of Tromsø, a residence in the center caught fire. But how many fires actually occur in the batteries of electric scooters is uncertain. – There are probably large numbers in the dark and under-reporting, says communications manager Sigmund Clementz at the insurance company If. He explains that fires in electric scooters and e-bikes happen quite often. Fire extinguishers do not work on such batteries. Photo: IF At the same time, he thinks people would be surprised if they knew how big a fire trap the small electric vehicles can be. – It almost looks as if you’ve got fireworks in the living room. It is impossible to extinguish with a normal fire extinguisher, regardless of whether it is foam or powder, he says. – The battery will continue to burn. If you poop on water, it won’t help. Flushing with water can actually make the pain worse, because chemical processes occur that only make the fire worse. To avoid fires in electric scooters or e-bikes, several precautions can be taken. Is the battery damaged? Among other things, it is important to make sure that the batteries are not damaged. This is what Aslak Gausen of the Fire Protection Association says. – Electric bicycles or scooters have large batteries with a high energy density. One should therefore be aware that the battery does not receive hard blows or shocks, and is damaged because of that, says Gausen. – This can lead to overheating and, in the worst case, starting to burn. Fires can occur in electric scooters that are not charging. Photo: Kripos It is particularly important to check the batteries before they are packed away for the winter, says Clementz in If. – Look over the electric scooter. Has it been bumped a lot? Is there damage to the battery? Are there any contacts that you can see that may be broken? – Then there could be a risk that it could start to burn. Where do you place the vehicle? It’s also a good idea to think about where you park your vehicle. For those who are going to put the bike away, Clemetz has a clear appeal. – Do not park the electric scooter in the hallway where you live. It is often your and your family’s only escape route if a fire starts. Put the bike somewhere else, and perhaps best of all outside in an outdoor shed. Then you get out of the building in a safe way. Where do you charge? Three out of four charge electric bicycles or electric scooters indoors at night, shows a survey carried out by Kantar. It’s a bad idea, says emergency manager Ole Nomel at the Halden fire service. – My recommendation is not to charge this indoors at all.
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How to avoid fire hazards when charging and storing electric scooters – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
