A fire that destroyed an apartment in Shirley was called by a charging e-scooter that exploded.

As first reported Chris Lynch Media, a person was taken to Christchurch hospital in a serious condition because of the blaze on February 27th, which was reported just after 10PM.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said an investigation into the cause of the fire was now complete.

“The fire was accidentally caused after an e-scooter that was charging went into thermal runaway and exploded.”

A thermal runaway is a process that is accelerated by increased temperature, in turn releasing energy that further increases temperature.

 “Fire and Emergency was reminding the public that it was important to take care when using these batteries as they are a fire risk when not stored, charged, used, or disposed of correctly.

“Only use chargers that are supplied with the device, don’t charge them on or near flammable surfaces, and avoid leaving lithium-ion batteries or devices charging for prolonged periods of time.

 There is further safety information available on our website here – https://fireandemergency.nz/home-fire-safety/home-fire-hazards/lithium-ion-battery-safety/”