Faulty Lithium-ion battery sparks unit fire in Sydney's east - Bondi
Published: 19 Jan 2024 11:33am
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators today have confirmed a fire at North Bondi, in Sydney's east, was sparked by a faulty Lithium-ion battery.
Four visitors from South America were asleep inside a unit in Curlewis Street, near Old South Head Road, when the blaze broke out just before 4am.
One of them was woken by the sound of small explosions; they alerted the other occupants before they fled the smoke-filled building.
Two of the people were forced to make their escape through a window.
Fourteen people from adjoining units were also evacuated as a precaution.
FRNSW firefighters attended the scene and quickly extinguished the fire, with damage contained to the unit in which it started.
The unit was fitted with working smoke alarms, while the building's automatic fire door activated, limiting the spread of fire and smoke.
As a result of the fire, the occupants have lost all their personal possessions, including passports, phones and bank records, but have acknowledged to fire crews they were lucky to escape with their lives.
Experts from FRNSW's Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) have been working with NSW Police to determine what sparked the fire.
Investigations have established an e-bike battery was left on-charge in a bedroom and ignited.
FRNSW is reminding the public about the dangers of Lithium-ion batteries.
More information, including advice on how to safely use, store and dispose of Lithium-ion batteries is available via the FRNSW website: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/batteries [external link]
EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional photos from the North Bondi scene are available on the FRNSW website. Video footage can be downloaded here - https://vimeo.com/904279080/3b4e916638 [external link]
Updated: 19 Jan 2024 05:13pm
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.
Having a home escape plan and a working smoke alarm increases your chances of getting out safely.
The best way to keep you and your family safe is to prevent fires from occurring and know what to do in case of a fire.
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
For flood information, warnings or requests for non-life threatening assistance, call the SES on 132 500 or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website here. [external link].
For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link]
Stations nearby
359 Old South Head Road, Bondi NSW 2026
2 Forth Street, Woollahra NSW 2025
4 The Avenue, Randwick NSW 2031