Valley firefighters urge caution after charging e-bike leads to house fire

An Annapolis Valley fire department is urging the public to leave firefighting to the professionals after an electric bike caught fire in a White Rock, N.S., basement and two people suffered smoke inhalation trying to remove the bike and get the fire under control themselves.

"Our advice during a fire is to get out immediately, call 911 and stay out," Greenwich Fire Department Chief Jason Ripley said in a release Sunday night. 

According to the release, fire crews responded to the incident on Deep Hollow Road in the community near New Minas at around 5 p.m. Sunday. 

The fire department said an unattended e-bike was charging in the basement when one of the occupants of the home heard the battery exploding and rushed downstairs to drag the bike out of the building. 

The occupants told the Greenwich department they initially had difficulty calling for help because of poor cellphone reception in the area.

When crews finally arrived, the fire that had spread into the basement ceiling had already been mostly extinguished, but a man and woman had to be transported to hospital after inhaling smoke while trying to put it out. 

"While the actions of the homeowners no doubt prevented further damage, firefighters do not recommend attempting to remove burning items from their homes," the release said. 

The department said people who have devices like electric bikes and scooters with lithium-ion batteries should be present when they're plugged in and charge them outside the home and away from combustible materials.

Fire damage was limited to the basement, but the remainder of the home sustained smoke damage, the release said.

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