A young university student has been identified as the victim of a horror fire, believed to have been caused by a lithium battery for his electric bike.

Haider Ali, 21, was trapped in his locked bedroom at a Rowley Rd sharehouse in Guildford in western Sydney when a fire broke out shortly before 5am on Tuesday.

He was pulled from the burning home by firefighters but was unable to be revived.

Five other occupants at home at the time who escaped were treated for smoke inhalation.

The civil and construction engineering student emigrated to Australia from Pakistan 18 months ago with no relatives in the country. He was the eldest of three children.

There were no smoke alarms in the three-bedroom home shared by 10 people, according to NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry.

An e-bike, understood to be used by Mr Ali for his Uber Eats delivery job, was found outside the home.

Its lithium-ion battery that was being charged in Mr Ali’s bedroom will now be the centre of the forensic investigation into the blaze.  

Haider Ali, a 21-year-old engineering student who moved to Australia from Pakistan 18 months ago, was killed in a house fire on Tuesday morning

Firefighters managed managed to contain the blaze to one bedroom (pictured)

Firefighters managed managed to contain the blaze to one bedroom (pictured)

‘The battery has definitely been exposed to fire and has gone into thermal runaway (overcharging) because there has been some detonation out of it … you can see where that battery has failed,’ Supt Dewberry said.

‘We know that batteries – even if they haven’t caused the fire – do add to the intensity of the fire and the rapid fire spread significantly and the extreme toxic smoke.’

Firefighters managed to quickly contain the blaze to one room when they arrived at the scene.

Neighbour Colleen Elcham recalled hearing a firefighter ‘scream for the paramedics’ as they entered Mr Ali’s bedroom, the Daily Telegraph reported.

When asked about the condition of Mr Ali’s body, Supt Dewberry said: ‘It’s not good, it’s not good.’

‘It’s a rental property and it’s unfortunate that there’s no working smoke alarms in here – we could have been talking about a very different situation if they were fitted,’ he said.

‘Needless to say we have a tragedy this morning.’

Forensic officers believe a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike, possibly used by Mr Ali for his Uber Eats delivery job, sparked the blaze

Forensic officers believe a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike, possibly used by Mr Ali for his Uber Eats delivery job, sparked the blaze

Paramedics attempted to save Mr Ali but he tragically died at the scene in western Sydney. Pictured is the gutted bedroom

Paramedics attempted to save Mr Ali but he tragically died at the scene in western Sydney. Pictured is the gutted bedroom

The absence of smoke alarms in the home will form part of police’s coronial report. 

Mr Ali’s bedroom was destroyed by the blaze while the rest of the property suffered smoke damage. 

Ms Elcham saw the remaining housemates, mostly migrants, gathered on the street opposite their home and ordered them food.

‘They’ve broken my heart,’ she said.

‘I didn’t get a chance to form a relationship.’

The Pakistan Association of Australia has also offered its support to the group. 

Waseem Gondal described Mr Ali as friendly man who juggled his studies with two jobs.

‘He was often a very humble and a very nice person. He was nice to us, very kind,’ he said.

Firefighters urged people not to charge lithium-ion batteries overnight, in their bedrooms or in the way of exit pathways

Firefighters urged people not to charge lithium-ion batteries overnight, in their bedrooms or in the way of exit pathways

Police have established a crime scene at the home and seized the e-bike to be forensically examined.

If the charging battery is found to be the cause of the blaze, it would be the 15th fire related to lithium-ion batteries in the last 16 days.

‘We really need people to understand not to charge lithium-ion batteries while they’re sleeping, to make sure that they’re not on charge in the exit pathways,’ Fire and Rescue NSW Assistant Commissioner Michael Morris said. 

‘We’re really encouraging people to ensure that they have working smoke alarms to provide the earliest possible opportunity of notification if something’s gone wrong.’ 

The absence of smoke alarms in the property will form part of NSW Police's coronial report

The absence of smoke alarms in the property will form part of NSW Police’s coronial report

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell similarly stressed the importance of education and awareness programs on the dangers of the batteries.

‘This is exactly the tragic outcome that we were hoping to avoid,’ he said.

‘Our thoughts are very much with the young man’s family and his housemates at this time.

‘We’ve seen an increase in the number of incidents in recent weeks but the risk of fatal outcomes remains ever present.

‘It’s something we will be continuing to focus on, and needing the community’s support to put in place the advice we’re providing to them to be as safe as possible.’

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