Rad Power Bikes warehouse catches fire following flammable battery warnings
In a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out this week in the warehouse of the Rad Power Bikes retail store in Huntington Beach, Calif. Electrek reports. The structural fire came less than two months after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned customers to “immediately stop” using and discarding some of the company’s e-bike batteries due to the risk of fire. In December, Rad filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying it could not afford to recall the batteries.
“We are working with local authorities to look into a thermal incident that occurred at our Huntington Beach store Sunday evening,” a Rad Power Bikes spokesperson told Engadget. “The incident was contained and occurred while the store was closed. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed.”
The recent two-alarm fire hit a commercial complex housing several businesses. Footage of the fire shows e-bikes outside the warehouse as firefighters battled the blaze. Engadget has reached out to Rad for more information on the impact of the fire.
The CPSC’s November warning noted 31 reports of fires, 12 of which involved property damage. In some cases, the battery was stored, not charged or used, but still caught fire. The CPSC has asked customers to dispose of (in a safe and detailed manner) specific models of Rad’s lithium-ion batteries. He said the “dangerous” batteries were at risk of igniting or exploding, even more so if they got wet or interacted with debris.
Rad told the CPSC that it could not recall the batteries because it could not afford to offer replacements and refunds. “Rad offered several good faith solutions to address the agency’s concerns, including offering consumers the opportunity to upgrade to Safe Shield batteries (described below) at a substantial discount. The CPSC rejected this opportunity,” Rad Power Bikes said in a statement at the time. “The significant cost of the all-or-nothing request would force Rad to close its doors immediately, leaving no way to support our passengers or employees.”
The company also said it disagrees with the CPSC’s “characterization of certain Rad batteries as defective or dangerous.” He also pointed out that the incident rate was less than 1% and said that all lithium-ion batteries carry risk when customers do things — like improper charging and excessive exposure to moisture — that Rad warns against.
Updated, January 20, 2026, 11:08 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rad Power Bikes.
