E-bike blazes happening ‘every other day’ in London, fire chief warns
Many recent fires have involved second-hand e-bikes or e-scooters which have been modified using parts bought online, Richard Field said.
Fires are being caused by e-bikes or e-scooters in London “every other day”, a fire chief has warned after a blaze left 11 people needing hospital treatment.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) chiefs believe the fire at a block of flats in Bethnal Green, east London, last week was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery.
Richard Field, deputy assistant commissioner for prevention and protection at LFB, said e-bikes and e-scooters are one of the capital’s “fastest-growing fire risks”.
He said: “Since 2023, we have seen a fire, on average, every other day and these fires are ferocious, producing extremely toxic smoke.”
Many recent fires have involved second-hand e-bikes or e-scooters which have been modified using parts bought online, not meeting the correct safety standard, he added.
The Bethnal Green blaze on April 9 saw 50 people evacuated after it spread through the block in Cornwall Avenue.
One man jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames but was unhurt.
Mr Field said: “This would have been a terrifying ordeal for all those inside this building.
“Firefighters demonstrated great courage to bring multiple people, including one child, to safety.
“The condition of one of the 11 people taken to hospital is no longer life-threatening.”
The fire chief urged people to store e-bikes and e-scooters outside or in a location such as a shed if possible, or to keep them in rooms where the door can be shut to contain a fire.
He also advised avoiding leaving e-bikes and e-scooters unattended when charging, to use correct chargers and to not overcharge the battery.
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “We are finding and destroying unsafe batteries, and we’ve halved the number of e-bike battery-related fires in the borough by 50%, but we need all e-bike and e-scooter users to help protect our community.”
