E-bike lithium batteries ‘quickest rising’ fireplace chance

Lithium batteries provide the “fastest growing” chance of fires, a Welsh fireplace and rescue carrier has stated.

The batteries, and in particular lithium-ion batteries, are used to energy plenty of gadgets together with e-bikes and scooters and their chargers, cellphones, laptops and e-vapes.

Campaigning charity Electrical Safety First stated fires led to by way of substandard e-scooter and e-bike batteries have been “tearing through homes” and wish stricter laws to be presented round their sale to cut back the chance.

The UK govt stated it was once updating product protection rules across the batteries to lend a hand stay folks secure and taking motion at ports and borders to prevent unsafe merchandise achieving shoppers.

The caution comes after seven folks have been taken to health center previous this month when a area fireplace in Cardiff was once began by way of a lithium-ion battery-powered scooter.

“The primary risk around these scooters is actually lithium-ion batteries and the thermal runaway that can happen from that,” Marc Davies, house protection supervisor from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS), stated.

A thermal runaway is an accelerating building up in temperature led to by way of chemical reactions which may end up in fireplace, explosion and “unpredictable fire behaviour”, in line with the United Kingdom’s National Fire Chiefs Council.

According to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, there have been 136 fires involving lithium-ion batteries in south Wales from April 2020 to March 2025, with 100 recorded within the ultimate two years.

Of the ones reported fires over the past 5 years:

• 30 folks have been injured with 24 of those going on within the ultimate two years
• 49 have been unintentional living fires, with 34 of those going on within the ultimate two years. One of those incidents resulted in a fatality related to a hearth involving a fault in a battery charger.
• Of the 136 incidents, 39 concerned an e-scooter or an e-bike with 25 of those incidents going on within the ultimate two years. These resulted in 13 folks being injured, 10 of which came about within the ultimate two years.
• There have been 16 coincidence living fires in south Wales which concerned an e-scooter or an e-bike with 10 of those going on within the ultimate two years. These incidents led to 5 folks injured with 3 of those going on within the ultimate two years

In mid and west Wales, there have been 26 incidents involving lithium batteries from 1 April 2020 to 5 May 2025. Four of those incidents concerned e-bikes whilst one concerned an e-scooter. Out of the 26 incidents, 3 folks have been injured.

In north Wales there have been 62 incidents from April 2022 to the top of February 2025. During that point seven fires concerned an e-bike and 4 concerned an e-scooter, resulting in 9 accidents.

A spokesperson from Electrical Safety First, a charity which targets to cut back deaths and accidents led to by way of electrical energy in UK properties, stated fires led to by way of substandard e-scooter and e-bike batteries have been “tearing through homes”, hanging lives in danger and inflicting “immense” harm to belongings.

“These fires are especially dangerous due to the huge amount of energy that is released if a fully charged e-scooter or e-bike battery fails, triggering a process called thermal runaway which is almost impossible to stop once it has started,” they stated.

The charity is now urging the United Kingdom govt to make use of the brand new product legislation and metrology invoice to introduce stricter laws across the sale of batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters to cut back the chance of a hearth.

A division for industry and industry spokesperson stated it took the chance of fires led to by way of lithium-ion batteries, together with the ones related to e-bikes and e-scooters, “very seriously”.

“That’s why we launched our ‘Buy Safe, Be Safe’ campaign to raise awareness of this important issue,” they stated.

“We are also updating our product safety laws to help keep the public safe, as well as taking action at ports and borders to stop unsafe or non-compliant products from reaching consumers.”

April’s e-scooter blaze in Cardiff isn’t the one fresh fireplace led to by way of an lithium-ion battery.

A yr previous in March 2024, SWFRS warned of the hazards that may be posed by way of lithium-ion batteries after a hearth gutted a circle of relatives house in Newbridge, Caerphilly county.

The circle of relatives who lived on the area controlled to flee unhurt, in conjunction with their 4 canine.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Davies of SWFRS stated folks will have to do their analysis and purchase gadgets, batteries and chargers from respected shops.

Otherwise there’s a chance they are able to “overheat, catch fire and almost lead to a firework-like explosion”, he stated.

He stated different chance elements for e-scooters incorporated put on and tear led to by way of kerbs, velocity bumps and water ingress, having suitable chargers and the upward push of common chargers.

He warned towards purchasing counterfeit items as they don’t meet protection requirements.

“You can’t go wrong with ensuring something is British or UK standard, or European CE certification, and high street versus online have their own set of rules,” he stated.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) may be urging folks to get rid of lithium-ion batteries safely following a number of fires believed to were led to by way of incorrectly discarded batteries.

If broken or overwhelmed, they are able to unlock flammable electrolytes, resulting in intense fires at waste websites.

Waste fires unlock destructive gases, and the ensuing hazardous smoke can pose severe dangers to each people and the surroundings, NRW stated. Residues from burnt waste too can pollute floor and groundwater, resulting in long-term land contamination.

Nia Brunning, waste legislation and enforcement crew chief at NRW, stated such fires no longer most effective harm the surroundings “but also put local communities and emergency services at risk”.