<p>Bengaluru: An electric scooter caught fire while being charged at a house in Basaveshwaranagar late Sunday night. The flames spread to the basement, gutting two bicycles and damaging parts of the house.</p><p>Panic gripped residents before fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames.</p><p>The scooter belonged to Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Shivanahalli, who runs a cloth business in Nagarathpete. “I had purchased the vehicle from a local vendor for Rs 28,000 about a year ago. It was out of warranty. My son used it for his daily commute. The battery exploded suddenly, and with neighbours’ help, we dragged it out before the fire spread to the adjoining building,” he said.</p><p>Preliminary investigations indicate the fire was triggered by overcharging and a malfunction in the scooter’s automatic power cutoff system.</p><p>Basaveshwaranagar police have registered a case of accidental fire and are investigating further.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: An electric scooter caught fire while being charged at a house in Basaveshwaranagar late Sunday night. The flames spread to the basement, gutting two bicycles and damaging parts of the house.</p><p>Panic gripped residents before fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames.</p><p>The scooter belonged to Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Shivanahalli, who runs a cloth business in Nagarathpete. “I had purchased the vehicle from a local vendor for Rs 28,000 about a year ago. It was out of warranty. My son used it for his daily commute. The battery exploded suddenly, and with neighbours’ help, we dragged it out before the fire spread to the adjoining building,” he said.</p><p>Preliminary investigations indicate the fire was triggered by overcharging and a malfunction in the scooter’s automatic power cutoff system.</p><p>Basaveshwaranagar police have registered a case of accidental fire and are investigating further.</p>