Overseas visitors make lucky escape after faulty e-bike battery sparks blaze in Sydney unit

A faulty e-bike battery has been identified as the cause of a fire that ravaged a unit in Sydney's east this morning.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters were called to a unit in Curlewis Street in North Bondi about 4am, where a blaze had broken out.

It is understood four visitors from South America were asleep inside the unit, when one of them was woken by the sound of small explosions.

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All four occupants fled the smoke-filled building - two of which were forced to make their escape through a window.

Fourteen people from adjoining units were also evacuated as a precaution as firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, with damage contained to the unit in which it started.

The occupants sadly lost all of their personal possessions in the fire, including passports, phones and bank records.

Thankfully, the unit was fitted with working smoke alarms, while the building's automatic fire door activated, limiting the spread of fire and smoke.

Investigations have established an e-bike battery was left charging in a bedroom and ignited, sparking a warning from FRNSW about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.

It follows a spate of Lithium-ion battery-related fires across the city.

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Late last year, three food delivery riders were rushed to hospital after an e-bike battery exploded in their apartment building in Sydney's Inner West.

In October, a blaze at a backpacker's hostel in inner-Sydney was traced back to a faulty e-bike battery.

Alongside defects, overcharging, overheating and use of non-compliant charging equipment can all cause Lithium-ion batteries to catch fire.

Authorities recommend users avoid leaving batteries or devices unattended while being charged, or charging overnight.