Jaw-dropping video captures the moment a pair of backpackers barely escape with their lives after a fiery lithium battery blast inside an Australian hostel.
The French travelers are seen outside their room at the Mad Monkey hostel in Sydney on Wednesday when they suddenly scramble to safety — with flames literally lapping at their heels, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.
The explosion forced 70 people out onto the street in the Potts Point neighborhood — as nearly two dozen firefighters battled the raging blaze, the outlet reported.
“I literally just grabbed essentials — passport, phone and I had my laptop in my hand and just marched down the stairs,” said Scottish hostel guest Mark Petrie.
“At first you don’t react, which is bad,” he said. “But then you start smelling smoke and then you go, ‘Okay, this is our moment and we should go now!”
Authorities said one of the French backpackers suffered minor leg burns, but no one was seriously hurt.
“We had everyone evacuated out of that property very quickly, which did help firefighters gain entry and control that fire very quickly,” Fire and Rescue New South Wales duty manager Grant Rice told the outlet
“With backpackers in that area, they’re not always English-speaking,” he said. “So, management actually helped Fire and Rescue keep those people out and they’ll be out for some time.”
Officials said one of the French travelers, who was not identified, tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher but was unable to bring the fire under control before firefighters showed up.
FRNSW said a lithium battery being charged inside the room is believed to be responsible for the fire — one of the 149 battery-related blazes in New South Wales so far this year, with at least 22% of them involving batteries on e-bikes and scooters.
The number represents a 16% increase over last year.
Lithium batteries have also been a major concern for the FDNY in the Big Apple, with the potentially explosive devices blamed for a number of high profile — and deadly — fires in the city.