UK firefighters called to one lithium-ion battery fire every five hours

"Fire brigades across the UK are tackling lithium-ion battery fires at a rate of one every five hours, figures show, as fire chiefs warn that public awareness and government regulation have not kept pace with the ubiquity of this new hazard. Lithium-ion batteries power most rechargeable devices including mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, toys and vapes, as well as ebikes, e-scooters and electric vehicles."

"Data gathered by the global business insurer QBE via freedom of information requests reveals that fire brigades were called to 1,760 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2025, equating to 4.8 fires a day, an increase of 147% over the past three years. Electric vehicle fires rose by 133% over the same period, while the number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled during that time."

"QBE researchers found that ebike fires made up nearly a third of all lithium-ion battery fires nationally and noted that retrofitted and converted ebikes appeared to be disproportionately involved compared with certified models. There were 520 callouts to fires involving ebikes in 2025, compared with 149 in 2022. London fire brigade (LFB) tackled 44% of these, with 230 ebike fires occurring in the capital last year and five related fatalities in the past three years."

"LFB's deputy commissioner for prevention, Spencer Sutcliff, said the brigade remained extremely concerned about ebike and e-scooter fires, and public awareness was vital. We believe regulation can help improve product safety and reduce the chance of consumers being exposed on online marketplaces to faulty or counterfeit products such as ebike batteries, chargers and conversion kits, he said."

Fire brigades across the UK are responding to lithium-ion battery fires at a rate of about one every five hours. Lithium-ion batteries power many everyday devices, including mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, toys, vapes, ebikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles. Freedom of information data gathered by QBE shows 1,760 lithium-ion battery-related fires in 2025, up 147% from the previous three years. Electric vehicle fires increased by 133% as the number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled. Ebike fires accounted for nearly a third of incidents, with retrofitted and converted models appearing more frequently involved than certified ones. London recorded 230 ebike fires in 2025 and five related fatalities over three years. Fire chiefs warn that public awareness and government regulation have not kept pace, and they call for improved product safety to reduce exposure to faulty or counterfeit items sold online.

Read at www.theguardian.com