Electric Scooter/Bike Fire: Extinguisher Used ≠ Danger Over
The Core Danger: Lithium Battery "Thermal Runaway"
The real threat of an electric bike fire is not the visible flame, but the thermal runaway chain reaction inside the battery. This reaction can sustain itself without external oxygen, meaning even after the flames are out, the battery can re-ignite hours or even days later.
A Realistic Comparison of Four Tools
Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher: Quickly puts out initial flames, but cannot cool the battery's interior. Re-ignition risk is very high.
Water-Based Fire Extinguisher: Extinguishes flames and provides surface cooling, but has limited capacity and cannot stop deep-seated thermal runaway.
Fire Hose: The ultimate professional tool for sustained cooling, but there is a critical "time gap" before it arrives.
Fire Blanket (The Underestimated Key): Its core role is physical isolation and post-extinguishment containment. After using an extinguisher, covering the hot battery pack with a fire blanket creates a crucial safety barrier, containing potential re-ignition and buying time for professional help.
The Complete Safety Chain: Prevention → Extinguish → Isolate → Professional Help
True safety requires a layered approach: proper charging (prevention), an extinguisher for initial attack, a fire blanket for immediate isolation/containment afterward, and a call to emergency services for final professional cooling and disposal. The fire blanket is the essential, often-missing link that bridges the gap between initial response and professional, turning a potentially catastrophic re-ignition into a contained incident.