A fresh warning was issued by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) following a recent rise in house fires that were caused by e-bikes and e-scooters, particularly the lithium-ion batteries they use.
According to LFB, most fires occur at home, usually when the vehicle's battery is charged. During the Easter Bank Holidays, the fire brigade was called to two house fires that were caused by lithium-ion batteries. On 9 April 2023, a fire broke out in a London house, which burned and damaged the staircase ultimately blocking the escape route, and a resident had to be rescued from the first floor of his house and was treated for smoke inhalation. The second battery fire took place the next day in a three-storey house in south London, where two men were rescued by firefighters.
According to LFB, there was a 60% increase in electric vehicle-related fires compared to last year and on average, LFB has to intervene in an e-bike or e-scooter-related fire incident every other day, with 116 incidents taking place in 2022.
LFB's information on how to reduce the risk of e-bike and e-scooter fires at home includes:
In 2021, Transport for London banned e-scooters from its transport network due to the fire hazard these vehicles may cause. Additionally, users should be aware that not all e-scooters and e-unicycles are road legal in the UK. Use of non-approved e-vehicles on public roads could lead to a fine by the police.
There are several documents covering the management of the risk of electrical fires in the workplace, including from batteries, which can also be found on Cedrec:
