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.
Story continues below advertisement
'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.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
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:
Story continues below advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
RCMP accidentally sparked wildfire near Lytton, which is now 130 hectares
The RCMP has confirmed that an accident involving one of its trailers led to the ignition of the Izium Creek wildfire near Lytton on Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, RCMP said that at approximately 2:20 p.m., an 'equipment failure' of an RCMP trailer started the fire alongside Highway 12 near Lytton. 'It appears that the right side wheel ejected from the trailer, ultimately causing a fire in the grass-filled ditch,' RCMP said in a statement. 'The officer stopped to engage the flames with their issued fire extinguisher but the conditions were not favourable and they were unable (to) contain the fire.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The BC Wildfire Service was called in and dispatched crews to combat the blaze. 1:08 B.C. wildfires: Update on fires burning near Lytton The Izium Creek wildfire is now an estimated 130 hectares in size and has been classified as a wildfire of note. Story continues below advertisement The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued an evacuation order and an evacuation alert due to the fire. The Lytton First Nation has also issued an evacuation alert. RCMP said the underwater recovery team was in the area for a search for a missing swimmer in Seton Lake, and returning to the Lower Mainland when the equipment failure occurred. 'This is a tremendously unfortunate set of circumstances that demonstrates the need for extreme caution and fire awareness during our long wildfire season,' RCMP said in a statement.
The Province
13 hours ago
- The Province
D'oh Canada: Plane takeoff goes very wrong on Vancouver Island beach on Canada Day
Bystanders helped push the plane across the muddy beach to shore, where it was lifted out by helicopter on Wednesday A screenshot of a video showing a plane that crashed while trying to take off from a Comox beach on Canada Day. Photo by iamacarpenter/reddit / PNG The pilot's adage is: Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. It doesn't, however, cover takeoffs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors A plane that made an emergency landing on a Courtenay beach on Tuesday after RCMP said it reportedly ran out of fuel later crashed when it made an ill-conceived attempt to take off across the mud flats at low tide after refuelling. After bouncing madly across the ground across the muddy estuary near the Courtenay Air Park, the plane dug its propeller into the ground, doing an impromptu nose-stand before coming to an abrupt halt. Comox RCMP said the pilot was uninjured, and no evidence of fuel leakage was found from the crash. Bystanders helped push the plane across the muddy beach to shore, where it was lifted out by helicopter on Wednesday. The plane is a Van's RV-6A, a two-seat, single engine, homebuilt airplane sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft, and appeared based out of Duncan as of June 3. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been contacted for comment, but a media report by CTV said the federal organization would likely not be investigating the matter, considering it a Class 5 incident — one that has a low ' likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will advance transportation safety.' Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Opinion Local News Junior Hockey
Global News
17 hours ago
- Global News
Locals leap in to help after series of mishaps strands small plane in Courtenay estuary
The owners of a small private plane were lucky to escape unhurt — and still have their wings — after a series of mishaps in an estuary near Courtenay, B.C. Locals are being credited for saving the plane, after strangers came together on Canada Day to move the damaged aircraft before the tide came in. The incident unfolded Tuesday afternoon, when the small craft was forced to make an emergency landing on the shoreline of the Courtenay River Estuary when it ran out of fuel. 'We heard the plane stalling as it flew past (my friends') place, and thought that didn't sound right,' said neighbour Janice Shell, who was among those who ultimately helped save the plane. 2:29 Close call for pilot after small plane crashes in South Surrey 'We saw the pilot leaving, came back with a jerry can, headed back over to the plane and I guess they refilled,' added neighbour Barry Allen. Story continues below advertisement But things went from bad to worse for the plane's two occupants when they tried to take off. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy After building up some speed on the beach, the aircraft pitched sharply up and came straight down on its nose. 'It went to go take off and it hit some bumps out there on the beach and it ended up kind of crashing — going almost up to a like a 180 up there, and then came back down and got stuck,' witness Owen Middleton said. 'If you can't get a headwind, you're not going to get out. You've got to have enough time to take off, and the debris in the area and that, it doesn't help,' added Allen. The estuary is adjacent to the Courtenay Air Park, and locals often come out to watch small aircraft take off and land. Many of them leapt into action on Tuesday, working as a team to move the stranded aircraft before the tide rose. 0:55 Plane bursts into flames upon impact near South Surrey 'For Canada Day, we united to help these people out,' local Bonnie Lavallee said. Story continues below advertisement 'Everybody just stepped in, even my doggie, and it was just effortless. We worked like an amazing team to get it above the tideline.' The owners were back on site on Wednesday, this time with the help of a helicopter that lifted the damaged plane to safety. 'I feel relief for the guy. It looked like he rigged it up, he knew what he was doing, it went well,' said Shell, who came back to watch the unusual operation. 'You don't see that every day.' The Courtenay Fire Department said no one was hurt in the incident and that no fuel leaked into the estuary.
