Risks of electric bike batteries need addressing

AN ELECTRIC BICYCLE BATTERY that was being recharged caught fire and caused a blaze that killed five people and injured nine others on Wednesday. Beijing News comments:

The deadly fire in Baiqiangzi village, Chaoyang district, Beijing, came a month after a fire in a two-storey building in the capital killed 19 people and injured eight, prompting a safety review throughout the city.

Statistics show that the recharging of electric bicycle batteries, which contain large amounts of combustible materials, caused 799 fires between 2011 and 2013, causing the deaths of 95 people and injuring 58.