"New figures have indicated a record-breaking 206 ebike and escooter fires broke out in London during 2025, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB). Two Londoners died in the fires last year, with a total of five people since 2023. A brigade spokesperson said the blazes were often caused by faulty or poorly built vehicles, usually bought online or second hand, leading to failures in lithium-ion batteries, conversion kits or chargers."
"He said: "It was like a grenade had been thrown into the flat. I jumped out of the front first-floor flat window to escape. "I tried to go back into the building and go up the stairs but I knew if I opened the door to the flat, the fire would come out the door handle was so hot. "My grandma jumped and my dad was injured too. My grandma was in hospital for a week.""
"Lewisham and Southwark recorded the highest number of incidents, with 16 each, followed by Tower Hamlets with 15, Lambeth with 12 and Westminster with 11. In March 2025, occupants of a home in Hither Green, Lewisham, heard a loud bang before a partition wall collapsed. The fire blocked their escape route, forcing Jahmell Campbell, his father and his grandmother to flee by jumping from their first-floor flat."
The London Fire Brigade recorded 206 ebike and escooter fires in 2025, with two deaths that year and five since 2023. Firefighters attended an average of 17 such incidents monthly, including 171 ebike and 35 escooter fires, concentrated in Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth and Westminster. The brigade attributed many blazes to faulty or poorly built vehicles bought online or second hand, with failures in lithium-ion batteries, conversion kits or chargers. A Hither Green escooter battery failure caused a wall collapse and forced residents to jump from a first-floor flat. The LFB urges faster regulation and secondary legislation to hold online marketplaces accountable.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]