A man was taken to hospital after an e-bike battery burst into flames - 20 minutes after it had been taken off charge.

The bike was left a charred wreck and part of a two-roomed flat on the second floor of a converted church in Dalston Lane, Dalston, was damaged by the blaze at 11.30pm last night (June 6).

One man inside the building was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews suffering from smoke inhalation, London Fire Brigade, LFB said. 

Other people left the building before firefighters arrived.

The fire is believed to have been caused by the failure of a lithium battery for an e-bike.

Now firefighters are issuing a warning.

Fire investigators who visited the incident scene discovered that the bike had been taken off charge around 20 minutes before the fire occurred.

The bike had been bought by its owner around one month earlier from an online marketplace, where often e-bikes can be purchased that do not meet the correct safety standards. 

Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: "Cheaper batteries purchased from online sources which don’t necessarily adhere to UK safety regulations are more likely to fail and present an increased fire risk. Our advice is always to buy from a reputable seller."

So far in 2023, firefighters have attended 55 e-bike and 14 e-scooter fires in London. 

The brigade said when a lithium battery catches fire and explodes the blaze "can be rapid and ferocious".

The brigade is running its #ChargeSafe campaign, which aims to highlight the fire risks associated with lithium batteries commonly used with these types of vehicles.

The brigade was called at 11.31pm and the fire was under control by 12.15am.

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters from Homerton, Stoke Newington, Islington, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green fire stations attended the scene.