A man was rescued from a third-story window after an apartment building caught fire Monday morning, according to the St. Paul Fire Department.

Crews were called to an apartment building on the 1100 block of 4th Street East around 8 a.m.

Authorities say the fire was caused by an E-bike that caught fire in the hallway of the building. The fire was contained in the hallway, but there was heavy smoke throughout the third floor.

St. Paul Fire Department Deputy Chief Jamie Smith told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the entire third floor of the building was displaced — approximately six units. The Red Cross was called to help the displaced residents.

It was a lithium-ion battery that powered the electric bike that combusted, likely without warning, Deputy Chief Smith said. “It is thick, toxic black smoke, and it filled the hallway very quickly and then filled most of the apartments, especially if doors were left open,” he said.

“Anything that has a lithium battery does have the potential for this type of event to happen,” Smith added.

There was also a man who had one leg hanging out a window on the third floor, unable to escape through the hallway, Smith said. St. Paul fire crews rescued him with a ground ladder.

Two others were helped out of the building by firefighters.

The man was evaluated for smoke inhalation. He was also brought to the hospital as a precaution, though fire officials note he didn’t have any obvious injuries.

Safety science company UL Solutions does product certification for lithium ion-powered devices. A battery safety guide on its website said fewer than 1% of US products that use these batteries were mandated to comply with federal safety standards as of 2021.

Smith didn’t know exactly how common such battery fires are, but St. Paul did respond to a similar fire last year. The May 2023 fire at Catholic Charities was caused by an electric scooter, St. Paul Fire officials concluded at the time.

“So the more popular that devices with the batteries become, the more we’re seeing incidents like this happen. And when they do happen, they’re fast,” Smith said.

Smith said you can lessen your risk by buying from reputable brands, which can be pricier. He also said you should never leave them unattended while plugged into a charger. Although, it doesn’t eliminate the fire risk.

In fact, the e-bike in question on Monday was not charging today when firefighters arrived, Smith said, adding that e-bikes and scooters should be stored outside or at least in a garage. The fire safety measure outweighs the risk of theft, he said.