Working smoke alarm saves family from eScooter fire - CHISWICK
Published: 08 Jun 2023 08:58am
A family has been forced to shelter on an apartment balcony after an eScooter caught alight overnight at a home in Sydney's Inner West.
The family was alerted to the fire in the unit's laundry by a working smoke alarm.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) arrived at the scene at Marine Drive, Chiswick, just before 4:30am.
The three occupants, two adults and a child, were forced to move to the balcony of the unit, as toxic smoke had made it impossible to exit via the front door, located next to the laundry.
Firefighters entered the apartment and were able to extinguish the fire, sparked by the eScooter overheating whilst on charge.
They then placed the scooter into a large bin full of water to stop the Lithium-ion battery re-igniting.
As a precaution, firefighters evacuated more than 40 residents from the building while the fire was being extinguished.
FRNSW specialist fire investigators will make further inquiries today.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry from FRNSW stated, "This is the second fire in two days where a working smoke alarm has notified the occupants of a fire in their home.
"In both incidents the occupants have been able to evacuate to safety without injury.
"We know working smoke alarms save lives and prevent serious injury".
"Working smoke alarms provided these occupants with an early notification of the fire, enabling them to move to safety in time.
"It only takes a matter of minutes for a fire to take hold in a home.
"Fires produce large volumes of deadly and toxic smoke, and it is this smoke that usually kills people in home fires".
Updated: 08 Jun 2023 09:03am
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CHISWICK | Working smoke alarm save family from eScooter fire. A family has been forced to shelter on an apartment balcony after an eScooter caught alight overnight at a home in Sydney's Inner West.
The family was alerted to the fire in the uni...
08:53am • Jun 08, 2023 - View tweet on Twitter
Related safety topics
It's important that we all understand the risks of lithium-ion batteries and be prepared if things go wrong.
It“s the law to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home.
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