The London Fire brigade has issued a warning about the use and charging of e-bikes and scooters after a flat fire on Stansted Road, Forest Hill earlier this month.

The fire took place on the afternoon of March 4 and affected the first floor of a three-story building. There were no casualties but one woman and a child who remained in the building during the fire had to be rescued by the brigade.  

Fires caused by e-bikes and scooters are predominantly caused by lithium-ion batteries that don’t comply with UK safety measures. These batteries are not sold by government-approved companies but can be bought online from outside the UK.  

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said on March 7: “When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and because these fires develop so rapidly the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.” 

The Forest Hill fire is the second in Lewisham caused by an e-bike in 2023. The first fire happened in late February and affected the first floor of a three-story hostel. There were no casualties, but six people were taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. 

There were also two major fires in Tower Hamlets caused in February this year by lithium-ion batteries. There were no causalities, but three people suffered from smoke inhalation.  

Tower Hamlets Councilor Kabir Ahmed, the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Inclusive Development and Housebuilding said in response to the fires: “It is alarming to hear that these incidents are becoming more frequent in our borough, the safety of our residents is our main priority, and it is clear that we need to tackle this issue now… Unfortunately, these cases are not singular, in November four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a flat fire on Wallwood street in Poplar. Again, believed to be due to lithium-ion batteries for an e-bike.

According to a report made by The Chartered Trading Institute (CTSI), in London alone, 88 fires were caused by e-bikes in 2022. This is an increase of 80% on the 49 fires in 2021.