PHOENIX — An electric bike reportedly caused a house fire early Thursday morning, displacing a family.
According to Phoenix fire, the incident happened around 5:20 a.m. at a home near 27th and Northern avenues.
The family called 9-1-1, saying that an electric bike that was charging had burst into flames inside the home, catching the house on fire.
Everyone was able to escape the home safely, though their two cats did not make it.
RELATED: Fire officials sound alarm on dangers of lithium batteries after overnight fires
Firefighters say the family will be displaced and a crisis team will assist them.
Exactly what caused the e-bike to catch fire is unknown at this time.
Fire officials advise to never leave batteries connected to a charger unattended for a long period of time.
Employees at Bicycle Depot of Arizona say e-bikes are popular but warn customers about the dangers of lithium batteries.
"When you're done with the ride, after it's hot, if it's sitting in the garage, you should have some sort of key just pull that battery off of there, so it's not connected and doesn't have a chance to drain charge or go catastrophic in worst case scenario,” said Braxton Horejs, an employee at Bicycle Depot of Arizona.
