Cambs man warns of e-bike battery dangers after explosive shed fire

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More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice A Peterborough man has issued a stark warning after his garden shed was completely destroyed by a fire, which he claims was caused by an "exploding" e-bike battery. Matthew Berzins, 39, spotted smoke billowing from the shed at his shared property and immediately alerted his housemates. They attempted to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher and buckets of water before calling the fire brigade.

However, while they were waiting for help to arrive, the battery exploded, sending a jet of fire into the air and rapidly engulfing the shed in flames. The fire spread to a nearby wooden fence, and everything inside the shed was lost. The e-bike battery, which had been bought on eBay and belonged to one of Matthew's housemates, is now the focus of their campaign to raise awareness about charging safely.

Matthew, who is currently unemployed, said: "A lot of households have kids who use e-bikes and don't realise the dangers they possess. Matthew Berzins spotted smoke billowing from the garden shed (Image: Matthew Berzins© SWNS) "It was scary - if it was night time or if we were out the house and leaving things on charge it could have been much worse. It's something the public needs to be aware of; these fires are happening.

These can be dangerous and a hazard. "Luckily, we were able to get it under control, but there are lots of scenarios where this could go wrong." Matthew first noticed the smoke around midday on Tuesday (22/04), coming from behind the wooden shed.

He recalled: "Minutes later, it suddenly exploded, and there was a shot of fire, and the fire really started in the shed." He revealed that the fire brigade had informed him that calls to similar incidents were becoming alarmingly frequent. Matthew shared: "They told us these fires were happening every other day from these e-bike batteries.

So this apparently happens quite often. "Five tenants live here including myself and three of us were in the house at the time of the fire. If this wasn't the case, I dread to think of how bad the fire could have become.

If this type of fire happens for instance, in a family home and the parents are out at work, it would be disastrous." Matthew Berzins' garden shed in the aftermath of the fire (Image: Matthew Berzins© SWNS) The Cambridgeshire fire service said: "It is vital for people to be alert when charging any kind of device. Last year firefighters attended around 20 fires involving batteries charging in homes, with more occurring already in 2025.

"Electrical devices are a key part to everyday life for most people. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and games console controllers, as well as vehicles like e-bikes and scooters are used daily and need to be powered to do so." "Most devices come with safety features to ensure they do not overheat when being charged.

Using the charging packs, cables and plugs provided by the manufacturers, rather than cheaper versions will help charge devices safely. "Replica replacement chargers sometimes don't have these features and can end up overcharging the battery, which causes thermal runaway leading to explosions and rapidly intense fires." Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks.

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