Avoca teen taken to hospital with burns after e-scooter battery ignited

A teenage girl was transported to the Bundaberg Hospital overnight with burns after her e-scooter battery caught on fire.

File photo of an e-Scooter fire at Sigiriya Street, Darra on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Picture, John Gass

A teenage girl was transported to the Bundaberg Hospital overnight with burns on her hand after her e-scooter battery ignited.

Queensland Fire and Rescue were called to the home of the Avoca teen and arrived on the scene at roughly 6:30pm on Thursday after the battery reportedly ignited while it was charging.

The minor flame burned the teenager’s hand as she unplugged the charging device.

Fireys performed first aid on the teenage girl until Queensland Ambulance Services arrived on the scene and took over treatment.

The girl was transported to the Bundaberg Hospital but not before fire services warned her and her family not to use the e-scooter until the battery and charging cable were totally replaced.

File photo of an e-Scooter fire at Sigiriya Street, Darra on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Picture, John Gass

Fire services also performed atmospheric testing in the home to ensure no dangerous fumes had been expelled as a result of the minor flame.

The news comes just days after a Brisbane home caught alight, with suspicions the blaze was caused by a malfunctioning e-scooter battery.

QFES fire investigator Craig Jones spoke on the home-destroying fire and issued a warning to those thinking of buying an e-scooter.

“With unregulated imports and scooters and batteries not of the greatest quality, and we have people tinkering around with them, people buying them second-hand, using incompatible chargers,” he said.

“We’ve been spruiking this for a long time now about the dangers of lithium batteries, particularly mobility devices. They shouldn’t be charged inside the house or overnight if possible and should be monitored very carefully.”