UK firefighters respond to a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, data reveals

[Shawn Knight]

A hot potato: Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries found in modern electronics are causing major headaches for firefighters in the UK. According to data from business insurer QBE shared by The Guardian, fire departments in the region responded to 1,760 calls involving lithium-ion batteries in 2025. That works out to roughly 4.8 fires per day, and is up 147% compared to the previous three years.

Electric bikes were responsible for nearly a third of all calls – 520, to be exact – in the UK last year. Unsurprisingly, retrofitted models were involved in more incidents compared to those that shipped with batteries from the factory. For comparison, there were only 149 calls for ebike fires in 2022.

Electric vehicle fires shot up 133% over the past three years, which isn't all that surprising considering the number of EVs on UK roadways tripled during that period.

Even more alarming is the fact that nearly half of all lithium-ion battery fires in the UK last year occurred in people's homes. Virtually every modern electronic gadget – from smartphones and toys to vapes and electric toothbrushes – uses lithium-ion batteries. When damaged, faulty, or used incorrectly, it can lead to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway in which the temperature of the battery rises uncontrollably and starts a fire.

And not just any fire. Lithium-ion battery fires burn differently, said Adrian Simmonds, a risk manager at QBE. They are much more difficult to put out and can take up to 10 times more water to contain, he added. "Awareness of safe charging, storage and disposal is essential to keeping people and property safe," Simmonds noted. Sadly, five people have died in the region from lithium-ion battery fires in the past three years.

London fire brigade deputy commissioner for prevention, Spencer Sutcliff, believes regulation can help improve product safety by limiting counterfeit or faulty products that are often sold online.

Fortunately, the Nation Fire Chiefs Council is working with local first responders, governments, and partners to improve public awareness as well as guidance and research. But even still, regulation and guidance may not be enough to keep up with the rapid advances in technology that are putting batteries everywhere.

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UK firefighters respond to a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, data reveals

 

[Inthenstus]

Is anyone surprised? Look at the people riding them, a bunch of *****s driving in the street doing wheelies and are sub 21 years old. They should be illegal lol.

EDIT: What I mean by that is, kids parents are buying cheaply made bikes to save money to irresponsible children who mistreat them, further degrading the battery than one normally would.

 

[Megalomaniac]

I have owned 2 EV.
In my entire life I have never seen an EV fire.
In my entire life I have seen several dozen ICE VEHICLES ON FIRE.

 

[Gars]

Is anyone surprised? Look at the people riding them, a bunch of *****s driving in the street doing wheelies and are sub 21 years old. They should be illegal lol.

EDIT: What I mean by that is, kids parents are buying cheaply made bikes to save money to irresponsible children who mistreat them, further degrading the battery than one normally would.

the problem is
1. Cheap products
2. Regulation on this
3. Low educated users which use that
many twists around that statement
still its imo

 

[cfenton]

These kind of stats don't mean much without comparisons. How many fires total from all sources? How many from smokers, or barbecues, or gas leaks? What's the breakdown between battery fires from faulty manufacturing compared to improper use?

 

[toooooot]

There was a very solid reason China banned millions of older ebikes. Heck, they did not just ban them. They collected them themselves using police force. I saw mountains of those bikes ready to be recycled.
They must have checked fire statistics and did one thing they could do.
There are too many fires caused by those. And in China it is much worse
because the majority of those are cheapest of cheapest bikes purchased
by poor people.

 

[user556]

The problem is the tech. Lithium-Cobalt chemistries are the only commercially popular types that self-ignite. They should never have been commercialised in the first place.

 

[TooQik]

The problem is the tech. Lithium-Cobalt chemistries are the only commercially popular types that self-ignite. They should never have been commercialised in the first place.

That's not actually true, all of them can self ignite. It's just that Lithium Iron Phosphate has a thermal runaway threshold of 270°C (518°F), which is higher than other Lithium chemistries which sit around 150°C (302°F).

 

[3volv3d]

Is anyone surprised? Look at the people riding them, a bunch of *****s driving in the street doing wheelies and are sub 21 years old. They should be illegal lol.

EDIT: What I mean by that is, kids parents are buying cheaply made bikes to save money to irresponsible children who mistreat them, further degrading the battery than one normally would.

I kind of agree.

UK government strikes again. Useless legislation.
Chinese crap shipped to UK.
Law says can't use these scooters and ebikes other than on private land.
Kids mod firmware and do 60mph apparently thru alleys avoiding cops.

Shouldn't be in the UK period.
Not on the roads without CBT license period. And yes obv would need taxing registration and insurance.

They don't signal cut across traffic. Or get chased by police and ride into the rear of ambulances and die. As we have actual seen happen.

If you're a parent buying kids illegal **** because the shops are allowed to sell it but you're not legally meant to actually use it then accidents and deaths are on you I'm afraid.

But the UK needs to just ban the Chinese BS. Bikes scooters vapes etc.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I have owned 2 EV.
In my entire life I have never seen an EV fire.
In my entire life I have seen several dozen ICE VEHICLES ON FIRE.

I've seen 3 car fires.
1 ice
2evs

So.......

The problem is the tech. Lithium-Cobalt chemistries are the only commercially popular types that self-ignite. They should never have been commercialised in the first place.

The real problem is that any lithium based battery contains everything to maintain combustion, so even immersing these underwater isn't enough to stop them burning. If they are in a building this is devastating.

Gasoline needs an external spark of some kind and/or get very hot, and diesel needs even more heat and compression or aerolizarion to get started.

 

[p51d007]

It would be interesting to explore further. Did the bike have an accident prior to the battery catching fire? Was the battery damaged in another way prior to the fire?
LiOn batteries are like a ticking time bomb. They are ok as long as you DO NOT taunt them LOL.

 

[daffy duck]

This is because while car batteries are heavily regulated for safety, the e-bikes and e-scooters are the wild west with virtually no oversight. This is true all over the world. It's outrageous.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Yikes, I’m worried by how many people here I see pretty much advocating for the seizure and disposal of people’s private property.

If we want to avoid the problem of cheap Chinese tech being dumped into the market, that’s one thing, but to be in favor of the CCP style of rounding up and destroying privately owned transportation largely affecting those who can least afford to replace it?

Surely we can find a better way?

 

[Alpine7995]

The real villain here is the ecosystem of cheap ebike conversion kits on Amazon and AliExpress. You've got a $150 battery pack with zero quality control strapped to a frame that was never designed for it, charged overnight in a bedroom. The factory EV numbers going up proportionally with sales is actually reassuring — it's the grey market stuff that's genuinely terrifying.

 

[abactuon]

The ever-reliable Elon Musk invented a flamethrower and sold them for $500 each (20,000 units).
Then he fled burning California for Texas.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Yikes, I’m worried by how many people here I see pretty much advocating for the seizure and disposal of people’s private property.

If we want to avoid the problem of cheap Chinese tech being dumped into the market, that’s one thing, but to be in favor of the CCP style of rounding up and destroying privately owned transportation largely affecting those who can least afford to replace it?

Surely we can find a better way?

You mean one singular comment who said there was a reason the CCP removed these ticking time bombs? Surely you're not creating a call to action over one comment right?

The ever-reliable Elon Musk invented a flamethrower and sold them for $500 each (20,000 units).
Then he fled burning California for Texas.

Elon Derangement Syndrome at its finest. Elon has nothing to do with this article and his flamethrowers didn't burn California down, decades of negligent government action and PG&E caused that.

The real villain here is the ecosystem of cheap ebike conversion kits on Amazon and AliExpress. You've got a $150 battery pack with zero quality control strapped to a frame that was never designed for it, charged overnight in a bedroom. The factory EV numbers going up proportionally with sales is actually reassuring — it's the grey market stuff that's genuinely terrifying.

Is that the real villain? Seems like it's cheap no name evikes going up, not the conversions done by hobbyists.

I would love to see the sales numbers and reports showing conversion kits are the issue.

 

[abactuon]

Elon

Familiarly. This is how it is customary to address kings, emperors and Popes.
And in some religions to gods.

 

[Rapob]

In the last 3 months I have seen 5 trucks on fire on the highway. Diesel.

 

[OortCloud]

The ever-reliable Elon Musk invented a flamethrower and sold them for $500 each (20,000 units).
Then he fled burning California for Texas.

I think it speaks volumes for what a childish to55er/freak Elon Musk is that he produced a flamethrower... The ultimate 'toy' for kidult a55holes - probably put them in the boot of their Cybertrucks and post about it a lot on Insta.

 

[Endymio]

I think it speaks volumes for what a childish to55er/freak Elon Musk is that he produced a flamethrower... The ultimate 'toy' for kidult a55holes - probably put them in the boot of their Cybertrucks and post about it a lot on Insta.

Invidious hatred of success isn't a good look. If the world had more Elons and less trolls attacking him on public forums, we'd all be living to age 150 now, and vacationing on Mars.

 

[abactuon]

Invidious hatred of success isn't a good look. If the world had more Elons and less trolls attacking him on public forums, we'd all be living to age 150 now, and vacationing on Mars.

"Associative thinking is a cognitive process in which the brain connects new knowledge, sensations, or ideas with existing information, creating complex, subtle networks of thoughts. This basic mechanism allows the brain to find connections between seemingly unrelated objects."

 

[Endymio]

...Then he fled burning California for Texas.

California isn't burning because of Elon, but because the enviro-Nazi movement there refuses to allow proper forest management. Cut down dead or dying trees, clear underbrush, cut firebreaks. It's not rocket science. But because doing that might "disturb the habitat" of the three-spotted wood louse, it's not allowed to happen ... so we get forest fires that do tens of billions of dollars in danages, and sometimes kill 100+ people.

Major forest fires are a 100% preventable tragedy ... yet during the LA fires we discovered brush in most of these outlying city regions hadn't been cleared in decades. Decades!

 

[Jim Lahey]

You mean one singular comment who said there was a reason the CCP removed these ticking time bombs? Surely you're not creating a call to action over one comment right?
Elon Derangement Syndrome at its finest. Elon has nothing to do with this article and his flamethrowers didn't burn California down, decades of negligent government action and PG&E caused that.
Is that the real villain? Seems like it's cheap no name evikes going up, not the conversions done by hobbyists.

I would love to see the sales numbers and reports showing conversion kits are the issue.

No, I’m aware that only one person had chimed in specifically on that CCP confiscation, but there are a number of people who had comments with a similar vibe of “the only solution is to ban/remove” these things from the market.

I’m not in favor of crap products being offloaded into our markets, but I’m also against blanket bans and confiscations after the fact. That transfers all the risk to the individuals rather than the “offending” parties.