Fire brigades across the United Kingdom are responding to lithium-ion battery fires roughly once every five hours, according to new figures, with fire chiefs warning that safety awareness and regulation have failed to keep pace with the rapid spread of the technology.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in rechargeable devices such as mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, toys, vapes, e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles.

Data obtained by global insurer QBE through freedom of information requests shows that UK fire services attended 1,760 lithium-ion battery-related fires in 2025, around 4.8 incidents per day.

That marks a 147 per cent increase over the past three years.

Over the same period, electric vehicle fires rose by 133 per cent, even as the number of EVs on UK roads has tripled.

QBE researchers found that e-bike fires accounted for nearly a third of all lithium-ion battery incidents nationally, with converted and retrofitted e-bikes appearing to be disproportionately involved compared with certified models.

There were 520 reported e-bike fire callouts in 2025, up from 149 in 2022.

The London Fire Brigade handled 44 per cent of these incidents, with 230 e-bike fires recorded in the capital last year alone and five related fatalities over the past three years.

LFB deputy commissioner for prevention Spencer Sutcliffe said the brigade remained “extremely concerned” about fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, stressing that greater public awareness was essential.

“We believe regulation can help improve product safety and reduce the chance of consumers being exposed on online marketplaces to faulty or counterfeit products such as ebike batteries, chargers and conversion kits,” he said.

A fire that destroyed a historic building in Glasgow and forced the closure of Central Station, Scotland’s busiest rail hub, for two weeks is believed to have begun in a vape shop, where products powered by lithium-ion batteries were sold.

When misused or damaged, lithium-ion batteries can trigger a process known as thermal runaway.

This is a hazardous chain reaction in which the battery’s internal temperature rises uncontrollably, releasing toxic gases under pressure and producing intense, torch-like flames. In severe cases, it can also lead to explosions.