Man’s dramatic escape from Gold Coast fire after e-scooter explodes at Southport home

A resident has made a dramatic escape from a house fire in Queensland on Tuesday morning, with locals dubbing him the Gold Coast “Spider-Man”.

Forced to scale down a third flood balcony to escape the inferno, the man received only minor burns as crews battled through the morning to bring the fire under control.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Gold Coast man’s dramatic escape from burning home.

Neighbour Liam Crean said he heard an explosion before the fire broke out at the Southport home about 5.45am.

“I was just inside and heard a commotion and thought I would come out, and it was just an inferno, it was crazy,” he said.

The shocked Crean then pulled out his phone and captured his neighbour dangling precariously from the third-floor balcony.

“I came out and saw him jumping out the window, I was a bit worried about him,” he said.

“He jumped from the top level to the bottom, there must have been a big commotion up there, the whole place was on fire.

“Everyone was speechless, he climbed his way down like Spider-Man.”

Queensland Ambulance Service said a man had been treated for burns to his arms and hands and was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital for treatment.

Station officer at Southport Fire Station Brenton Mazey said that the fire was fully involved when crews arrived.

He said the fire had likely begun after the homeowner noticed a lithium-ion e-scooter battery becoming overheated and, not knowing what to do, put it in the freezer to cool it down.

“That actually doesn’t cool it down once it starts (overheating),” Mazey said.

“It will continue (to heat) then explode and catch fire, it’s a really powerful battery, and it causes a really big fire.”

Mazey warned that these types of fires were becoming more common.

“If you’re charging scooters at night and if you are sleeping, we were fortunate this time they were awake, charging e-scooters and lithium-ion batteries is a big danger in houses if they ignite, everyone should be aware of the dangers of them.”

If you feel a battery is overheating, Mazey said the safest thing to do is move it to the safest place you can find, in an open field, dropping it into a pool or out on the road if you can’t find a safe area.

If it is too hot to move, leave the house and call emergency services.