London faces record number of e-bike fires in 2025

Tragically, one of these fires claimed the life of a 30-year-old woman after a fire broke out at a bedsit on Lordship Lane in Wood Green on 21 June. Eden Abera Siem was discovered unconscious inside the property and rescued by firefighters, but sadly died in hospital later that day.

Following an investigation by the London Fire Brigade’s fire investigation team, it was concluded the fire was most probably caused by the failure of a charging lithium-ion battery pack for an e-bike.

This was the fourth fatal fire involving an e-bike recorded in London and the first since 2023. In all four cases, the person who died did not own or use the e-bike involved in the fire.

There have been several other serious incidents involving e-bike and e-scooter batteries in recent weeks and months. On Monday 22 September, a man sustained serious burns after a fire involving lithium-ion batteries for a converted e-bike that was on charge in a flat in Putney High Street.

On 18 September, a woman sustained serious injuries after jumping from a first-floor window to escape a house fire on Ivorydown in Downham caused by a charging e-bike battery.

On 19 August, a charging lithium-ion battery pack for a converted e-bike failed and caught fire in the bedroom of a flat on Brockley Road in Lewisham. A woman was rescued and taken to hospital where her condition was initially deemed as life threatening, but she’s now recovering. Two other people were rescued after they found themselves trapped in bedrooms.

On 19 June, around 80 firefighters were called to a fire at a block of flats in North Pole Road in North Kensington. Nine people were rescued from the fire, which is believed to have been caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery pack for a trike-style scooter. The original battery and chargers had been replaced with aftermarket products.

Devastating consequences

Pamela Oparaocha, Assistant Commissioner for Prevention and Protection at the London Fire Brigade, said: “We continue to see the devastating consequences of e-bike and e-scooter fires in London. Our thoughts are with the family of Eden as well as all those who’ve been impacted by fires in recent years.”

Oparaocha continued: “Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters are worryingly common in London. Since the beginning of 2023, we have attended such a fire, on average, every other day. Some of these fires have destroyed homes and claimed lives. We launched our #ChargeSafe campaign in 2023 to highlight the fire risks with e-bikes and e-scooters. However, the rising number of incidents we attend clearly demonstrates the urgent need for further awareness to help protect lives and avoid future tragedies.”

The fires often occur when the lithium batteries that power e-bikes and e-scooters fail and explode. Batteries can fail for a number of reasons, such as if they’ve been poorly built, are fake or damaged, overcharged or the incorrect charger is used. Products such as batteries, chargers and e-bike conversion kits that are purchased from online marketplaces are at greater risk of malfunctioning as they’ve not been subject to the same level of regulation as High Street shops.”

At the fire in Wood Green, there was evidence that workers in the gig economy were living in the property. Although the London Fire Brigade is attending fires affecting a wide range of people, including families and students, it believes that gig economy companies in particular should be using their platforms to do more to raise awareness among their riders about the fire risks presented by e-bikes.

London Fire Brigade will be writing to companies including Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo to ask them to share important safety advice with their riders.

Understanding the risks

Assistant Commissioner Oparaocha explained: “Everything possible must be done to help people understand the risks we know exist and the steps they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.”

Further, Oparaocha noted: “We’ve been pleased to work with organisations such as London Trading Standards and Deliveroo to share advice directly to e-bike riders. These events have demonstrated the dangers to which people are exposing themselves and others when it comes to their e-bikes in particular.”

The London Fire Brigade is pleased that the Product Regulation and Metrology Act has been granted Royal Assent and has advised the Government on how the legislation could be strengthened such that it better regulates unsafe and particularly poor quality or non-compliant lithium battery products being sold via online marketplaces.

Oparaocha concluded: “We look forward to working closely with the Government as the regulation develops to ensure that it’s robust in protecting people from unsafe products and the unique fire risks the latter present.”