E-bike catches fire while being charged at Busan’s convention center

An electric bike caught fire while being charged at a convention center in the southeastern port city of Busan, but sprinklers helped put out the flames, officials said Tuesday. The blaze occurred at 10:15 p.m. Monday at an underground parking lot at Bexco, an exhibition and convention center in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the local fire service. The fire was brought under control thanks to the sprinkler systems and firefighters extinguished the remaining flames about 10 minutes later by soaking the e-bike and battery in water. No casualties were reported, but it caused some 2 million won (US$1,486) of property damage. Firefighters suspect the detachable battery of the e-bike could have started the fire. The fire caused no disruptions to events to be held at Bexco, including K-ICT Week and the 2024 Korea Maritime Mobility Safety Expo. Source: Yonhap News Agency