Electric Bicycle Battery Explodes in Hotel Room... Australian Travelers Narrowly Escape

Over 70 Guests Evacuate... 1 Sustains Minor Injury

A video has been released showing two backpackers narrowly escaping a room at a hostel in Australia at the moment a lithium-ion battery exploded. One guest sustained minor injuries in the incident.

According to local media including the Sydney Morning Herald, around 9 a.m. local time on the 4th, a lithium-ion battery exploded in a room at the Mad Monkey Hostel in Sydney, Australia. At the time of the accident, two French backpackers were talking near the room entrance.

A video has been released showing two travelers staying at a hostel in Australia escaping from a room where a lithium-ion battery exploded.
[Photo by FRNSW]

CCTV footage from the hostel hallway captured the room engulfed in flames as the battery exploded. About 70 guests evacuated the hostel and took refuge on the streets of Potts Point in New South Wales. The flames spread into the hallway during the explosion. Six fire trucks and around 20 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire.

One guest told local media, "I ran out in a panic carrying only my passport, phone, and laptop."

The Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) reported that only one of the French backpackers suffered minor injuries and no one else was hurt. They added, "All guests were quickly evacuated, allowing firefighters to enter the scene and extinguish the fire promptly."

They also revealed that one of the French travelers attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher but failed.

The fire department believes the fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery charging inside the hostel room. In New South Wales, where Sydney is located, there have been 149 battery-related fires this year, with 22% of those incidents involving electric bicycle batteries.

Fire at a hostel in Australia.
Photo by FRNSW

Lithium batteries, which are components of electric bicycles, can explode or catch fire if they overheat or are subjected to impact during charging or use. Fires mainly occur during battery charging and are known to be caused by internal circuit disconnections or exposure to external moisture or water.

Lithium batteries are known to be dangerous because when they catch fire, temperatures can soar above 1000 degrees Celsius, causing a thermal runaway that is difficult to extinguish. Toxic gases are also released, and if a fire occurs underground, smoke and heat cannot easily escape, potentially causing severe damage.

In South Korea, fires involving electric bicycles and electric kickboards using batteries are also on the rise. On the 19th of last month, a fire suspected to have been caused by an electric bicycle battery occurred in Guro-gu, Seoul, prompting the dispatch of 45 fire trucks and 153 personnel. Two citizens (one with burns) were hospitalized, and three others received emergency treatment at the scene.

In June, a fire broke out while charging an electric bicycle in a commercial building in Gunpo-si, Gyeonggi-do. The fire caused an estimated property damage of 42 million KRW according to the fire department. The fire was extinguished within 25 minutes. Authorities suspect the fire was caused by an overload on the inverter during charging.