by VDC Staff
A lithium-ion battery explosion sent two people to the hospital and left a dozen residents without homes in Winooski, Vermont on Saturday evening. The fire broke out just after 5 p.m. at a set of condos on Elm Street, when a battery from an e-bike that was charging in a bedroom caught fire and ignited a mattress.
The Winooski Fire Department responded to the scene and quickly called in mutual aid from the Burlington Fire Department. Crews managed to knock down the flames within about five minutes, but the danger moved fast enough that everyone living in the row homes had to be evacuated. The two tenants of the unit where the fire started were taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment.
Even though the fire itself was contained quickly, its aftermath has been disruptive for the whole building. All twelve residents of the row homes are without a place to stay, and they’re being kept out of the condos because of water damage caused during firefighting efforts. They’re now working with their landlord to figure out next steps.
Fire officials say this kind of incident is becoming more common as e-bikes grow in popularity. Winooski Fire Department Lieutenant Adam Lind offered some practical safety advice for e-bike owners, recommending that people store and charge their batteries outside the home, or keep them disconnected from the bike itself when not in use, to reduce the risk of a fire spreading inside a living space.
Why these batteries are so dangerous
The batteries in most e-bikes rely on lithium-ion cells, and the National Fire Protection Association warns that these same batteries have a track record of catching fire. Fire officials elsewhere in New England have dealt with similar close calls: in Massachusetts, an e-bike’s battery pack exploded inside a Holyoke apartment, injuring one person and displacing several residents. In a separate incident, state and local officials found that a fire at a Falmouth home started when a resident’s e-bike battery failed in an attached garage, with flames spreading into the main structure. Massachusetts’ state fire marshal has noted that these batteries can fail suddenly and violently when they’re damaged, defective, or subject to a recall, and officials there recommend buying only products certified by an independent testing lab like UL or Intertek/ETL as a way to cut down on the risk.
A city that’s been encouraging e-bike use
The Winooski explosion comes as the city has actively encouraged residents to adopt e-bikes as an alternative to cars. Winooski is one of the founding partners of a regional bike-share program alongside Burlington and South Burlington, which has expanded to include e-bikes among its fleet, and the city entered into a formal operating agreement with the University of Vermont and neighboring municipalities to bring e-bikes and e-scooters to the area as part of a broader micromobility push. That local effort has been reinforced by the state level: Vermont has run a statewide e-bike rebate program, at one point offering low-income residents up to $5,000 to trade in older, higher-emission vehicles for cleaner alternatives like e-bikes, part of a broader effort to cut emissions and expand affordable transportation options.
At the same time, the growing number of e-bikes on the road has started to worry some local leaders for reasons beyond battery safety. Officials in several Chittenden County towns, including Winooski, have said they’re concerned about the rising number of young people riding e-bikes and e-motos, faster electric vehicles that resemble small motorcycles, prompting some communities to clarify local rules or consider new regulations. Saturday’s fire adds another safety dimension to that conversation, this time centered on how the batteries that power these bikes are stored and charged at home.
Sources: mynbc5.com, NFPA, Mass.gov, Seven Days, Vermont Agency of Transportation