Brand new e-scooter causes serious blaze in Shefford home

An e-scooter caused a "serious fire" in Shefford on Saturday that left a house blackened.

On October 2, crews from Shefford and Bedford rushed to the scene just after noon, with the "quick-thinking" owners shutting the door on the fire to make it difficult to spread.

The firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, which left the kitchen and living room blackened, while no-one at the scene was hurt.

Warning about e-scooters, Shefford Community Fire Station said: "We have just returned from dealing with a serious house fire in Shefford alongside our colleagues from Bedford Community Fire Station. The cause of the fire was an e-scooter, bought only yesterday (October 1)!

"Please only buy e-scooters from reputable dealers or companies and ensure they carry a guarantee and correct safety features."

They added: "Please also note the importance of shutting your doors. It could save your life.

"The quick thinking owners of the property shut the door on the way out which in turn prevented the fire and smoke spreading."

A Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue spokeswoman added: "We were called at 12.13pm [on October 2]. Crews from Shefford and Bedford attended and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire using hose reel, a covering jet and a safety jet. Fans were used to remove smoke from the property."