COIMBATORE: A 24-year-old youth suffered injuries here while attempting to put out the fire that engulfed his electric bike early morning on Friday.
The injured person, R Jagadesan, is a resident of Q block at Kovaipudur near Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore city. He was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for treatment with burn injuries. The bike caught fire after the detachable battery of the vehicle which was placed on a sofa in front of his house was put on charge all through the night.
Jagadesan, who is a native of Theni district, is a worker at a milk farm near Kuniyamuthur. The farm owner gave him an electric scooter for delivering the milk. After the delivery, he used to park the vehicle in front of his house and charge the battery, police said.
On Thursday night, Jagadesan took the battery from the vehicle and plugged it into the electric socket for charging. He placed the battery on a sofa adjacent to the vehicle and went to sleep inside the house. On Friday morning around 2 am, he sensed a burst sound and rushed outside, only to see the e-vehicle, sofa and another two-wheeler on fire.
Jagadesan attempted to douse the fire and he suffered burn injuries on his face, hand and back. The neighbours who rushed to the spot tried to put out the fire and alerted the Fire and Rescue Station at Kovaipudur. Kuniyamuthur police arrived on the spot and held an investigation.
“A police officer said that it was an old model e-vehicle and he failed to turn off the charger at the right time. The fire spread fast as he had placed the battery on a sofa which had cotton and coir. The fire might have been triggered by the fluctuation in the electricity supply. Detailed investigation was on,” the police officer said.