An e-scooter exploded in an SF apartment earlier today leaving one resident with serious burns after the device suddenly caught fire while left charging.

According to KTVU, two residents at the Hyde Street apartment managed to quickly escape the sudden e-scooter explosion by jumping out of a window, one of them sustaining serious burn injuries and being transported to a local hospital, while San Francisco Fire Department officials emphasized the importance to not leave charging devices with lithium-ion batteries unattended or while sleeping.

While e-scooter and e-bike popularity has skyrocketed, the increase in fire-related incidents involving lithium-ion batteries has followed the same upward trend, and it's not just a local issue, but a national problem too, according to KRON4.

KRON4 reported that the San Francisco Fire Department itself witnessed multiple incidents where e-scooter batteries unpredictably caught fire during charging, creating potentially hazardous situations for residents, especially when these fires unpredictably occur at nighttime.

Speaking to KRON4, the fire captain said, "oftentimes the batteries catch fire at night while residents are asleep."

To curb this issue, the fire department has shared a series of precautions and guidelines for e-scooter and e-bike users on Twitter, advising them to closely follow manufacturer instructions, use the recommended charging cable, set timers to ensure they don't overcharge their devices, and most importantly not to leave lithium-ion batteries unattended while charging.

Additional safety precautions shared by the department include checking the batteries for damage or corrosion, using a single outlet instead of a power strip for charging the lithium-ion batteries, and refraining from using secondhand charging devices that may not have the capacity to handle the charging needs of a large battery.