Dramatic moment fire tears through Byron Bay e-bike shop as batteries explode

Dramatic footage shows a lithium battery fire breaking out at an e-bike store in the idyllic seaside town of Byron Bay.

The video shows black smoke rising from the window of Freedom Machine, an e-bike store on Byron Street, around 1pm on Thursday.

Byron Bay resident Marc Wilson, 61, who captured the inferno on Instagram, said the “crazy” fire had prompted him to rethink his position on e-bikes.

“It’s surprising no one was injured,” Mr Wilson said.

“I have friends at the real estate agent next door, they were saying that the batteries were exploding, it was like miniature bombs were exploding.

“The smoke was pretty terrible, completely black and the smell was like rubber burning with electricity.

“I have two e-bikes in my garage and my wife always helps me unplug them.

“I’ve always been pretty blasé about it, but now I’m actually thinking of getting rid of them.”

Fire and Rescue NSW acting chief Andrew Bickle said half a dozen fire engines were called to extinguish the blaze.

“At 12.47am, NSW Fire and Rescue received multiple triple zero calls regarding a structure fire on Byron Street, Byron Bay,” he said.

“It was also determined that this building was a two-storey residence above the workplace affected by the fire.

“There have also been reports of lithium-ion batteries exploding inside this building, further complicating firefighting operations.

“Six staff members at the commercial facility were evacuated safely.”

Mr Wilson praised the efforts of emergency services and said he was grateful the fire did not engulf any other homes or businesses.

“It could have been a lot worse,” he said.

“With all the stores connected to each other, if (the business) didn’t have firewall protection it could have destroyed the entire block.”

Police said the fire is not being treated as suspicious.