Shocking Google Nest camera footage shows moment Yorkshire family's house goes up in flames after charging e-bike catches fire

The incident happened at a house in Illingworth, near Halifax, and was captured on a Google Nest camera.

One of the adults can be seen rushing downstairs during the night, having been alerted by ‘popping’ sounds coming from the electric motorbike that had been left charging in the kitchen, before a huge wall of flame obscures the footage.

The popping was an indicator that the batteries were overheating and failing due to a process called ‘thermal runaway’ and the fire broke out seconds later.

Fire investigator John Cavalier said: “While fires involving lithium batteries are common, having a video showing the violence of the fire’s development is not. It’s clear to see in the video that the fire is absolutely horrifying – none of us would want this to happen in our homes.”

After the incident at 1am on February 24, the five people in the house were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, and one member of the family has burns to their mouth and windpipe. The kitchen was severely damaged.

Mr Cavalier added: “Because lithium batteries can be found in a range of items, we frequently attend fires involving them. They can be found in cars, bikes, scooters, laptops, phones, and e-cigarettes, among many other items. Any other type of fire we deal with has usually developed slowly, and people are able to get out quickly. However, battery fires are so ferocious and spread so quickly that there isn’t as much time to escape.

“To help keep everyone in your family safe, don’t leave lithium batteries to charge unattended, don’t put them in the way of exits or in hallways and unplug chargers when the batteries are at full capacity. I’d like to thank the owner of the house who gave us permission to use the video – it clearly shows the dangers associated with lithium batteries and could help to save lives in West Yorkshire.”