An electric bicycle, or e-bike, burned on Saturday, April 25, on Mackinac Island and nearly caused a structure fire, the island’s fire chief said on Facebook.
Mackinac Island Fire Chief Jason St. Onge said fire broke out after an “explosion-proof bag” failed.
“I am not the boy who cried wolf when the wolf keeps coming back. Keep these things out of your buildings,” St. Onge said on Facebook.
Mackinac Island firefighters were dispatched at about 7:37 a.m. Saturday, after a report of smoke and flames on Cadotte Avenue, near 2nd Street, near the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours stables.
Firefighters extinguished the fire and threw a burning e-bike battery out a window.
“I should note: the battery was inside an explosion proof bag and blew the bag apart and ignited the framing of the building,” St. Onge said.
The building, which officials say had previously flooded, had disconnected the electricity weeks before.
Following a Kingsford, Michigan, fire the previous wee, St. Onge warned people about keeping e-bikes in their home.
“As I’ve often warned, ebike battery explosions in a building do not have the growth or incipient phase of a traditional structure fire. They take the structure from nothing to fully involved in a few seconds. Can’t stress enough to keep the batteries out of your home,” he wrote.
In general, e-bikes are not allowed on the island, and people can be ticketed for bringing them. Here’s what to know about the rules.
Can I take my e-bike to Mackinac Island?
Mackinac Island has strict rules about the use of e-bikes on the island, including:
Violators may receive $120 tickets and have their e-bikes (and scooters) impounded. There is a $20 impound fee.
Phoebe Wall Howard contributed reporting.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Officials say e-bike battery explodes on Mackinac Island, causing fire
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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