B.C. man riding e-bike felt heat on his leg. Moments later its battery caught fire
He was also able to capture it on camera.
Richard Smith had just set out for a ride on his e-bike from his home in Castlegar to the local Canada Day festivities when he said he felt heat near his leg.
Within seconds of realizing what was happening, he hopped off the bike and it immediately burst into flames, shooting sparks and flames in every direction.
'It was probably 30 seconds, that's when everything started popping, and I knew enough to back away and stay away,' Smith told Global News.
'And then people started coming out because they thought it was fireworks going off.'
0:39
Surrey e-bike and e-scooter store ravaged by fire
Smith said one neighbour brought out a hose to douse the flames but Smith cautioned against it, as he didn't know how water would react with a battery fire.
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'I just know enough to let it ride, make sure no one's going to get hurt, nothing's going catch on fire,' Smith added.
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When the flames finally died, Smith said the bike was melted to the road.
He said the battery came with the bike and he read up on charging times and how to properly handle them so he thought he had done everything right.
'As soon as it started to catch on fire, I said, I was only at my house, you know like five minutes ago,' Smith added.
'That could have been my house going up.'
Fires involving rechargeable batteries are becoming more common.
Last Saturday, an e-bike store in Surrey caught fire and two weeks before, a Vancouver home was significantly damaged after an e-bike caught fire in the basement.
2:13
Fatal e-bike battery fire lawsuit launched by widow
According to the City of Vancouver, in order to care for a battery, people should:
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