Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) is warning residents about the dangers of lithium batteries following a rise in serious and fatal incidents across the country.
Lithium batteries can be found in cars, bikes, scooters, laptops, phones, and e-cigarettes, amongst many other items.
Fire and rescue services are most concerned about the significant fire risk involved with electric vehicles including e-bikes and e-scooter batteries, after several UK deaths have been linked to fires caused by these.
The danger occurs when e-bikes and e-scooters are left on charge and unattended in homes or in communal areas such as hallways and stairwells.
They can block emergency escape routes in multi-occupant buildings, making it harder to escape in the event of a fire.
Charging lithium batteries indoors increases the fire risk, especially if charged overnight when occupants are sleeping.
Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin said:
"After the recent Cambridge tragedy which sadly cost the lives of a mother and her two children, we want to highlight the dangers and increased fire risk these products can present, to hopefully avoid such tragedies in the future.
“We know e-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular but in the last year HIWFRS has already attended 5 fires caused by lithium battery packs and 21 incidents since 2020.
“To help keep everyone in your family safe, don’t leave lithium batteries to charge unattended, don’t put them in the way of exits or in hallways and unplug chargers when the batteries are at full capacity.”
Nationally there’s been a notable increase in incidents of this kind, with London Fire Brigade reporting that they’ve already attended 70 e-bike, 14 e-scooter and 35 other lithium battery fires in London so far in 2023.
It is not just fires in the home that are a concern as there has also been increased reports of fires in the waste and recycling system caused by batteries and electricals containing batteries.
In response to this, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), has teamed up with Material Focus to produce a new safety video “Stop Battery Fires” that emphasises the dangers of throwing away batteries.
Greater production and storage of lithium batteries also has potential safety implications for the community and fire and rescue services, due to the likelihood of these units exploding when they become involved in a fire.
Last year HIWFRS Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin issued a letter to council chiefs warning about the dangers of lithium batteries and the increasing number of battery storage facilities across the country.
The current UK planning system does not classify lithium installations as hazardous, meaning UK fire and rescue services are not statutory consultees and these facilities do not require environmental permits.
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