Man warns over e-scooters after fleeing fire which destroyed flat

A young man whose e-scooter burst into flames while he watched TV with his father has warned people against owning the vehicles, vowing never to use one again.

Jahmell Campbell was at his grandmother’s flat in Catford, south-east London, when the fire broke out, making a big exploding sound “like a grenade”, he said.

The 24-year-old told of the horror of fleeing the blaze, which gutted his grandmother’s home and meant neighbours had to evacuate late one night this March.

“We looked towards the front door and we just saw lots of smoke and flames coming out of the room,” Mr Campbell told the PA news agency.

“Of course, we didn’t really understand what happened still, because we’re just kind of like, is this actually happening in our house?

“I hadn’t really figured out what happened until I had got out of the building afterwards.”

Mr Campbell jumped out of the front first-floor flat window to escape, while his father and grandmother escaped from the back of the property.

“I am not sure how we all made it out of the house alive,” he said.

“My dad had bad nightmares after the incident.”

The fire at Mr Campbell’s grandmother’s is one of an average of 18 similar incidents each month, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said, as firefighters predict they will attend 200 e-bike and e-scooter fires by the end of 2025.

Mr Campbell said he will never own an e-scooter again and said he would not recommend others getting them.

“I would never get another e-scooter,” he told PA.

“It really affects you when it goes wrong. People around you as well.”

As the brigade showed a film on how Londoners can use e-bikes and e-scooters safely in Piccadilly Circus on Tuesday, commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “We’re now dealing with one of these types of fires every other day.

“We’re nearly at 200 e-bike or e-scooter fires in London this year.

“Sadly, that includes two fires where two people were killed.

“So this is a real and present risk that we’re wanting to highlight to Londoners.”

As shoppers try to save money with Black Friday deals, LFB warned people of the lack of regulation for e-vehicles on online marketplaces.

High street retailers are more likely to stock products with batteries and chargers that meet the UKCA or CE safety standards, the brigade added.