UK firefighters respond to a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, new data reveals
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
A hot potato: Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries found in modern electronics are causing major headaches for firefighters in the UK. According to data from business insurer QBE shared by The Guardian, fire departments in the region responded to 1,760 calls involving lithium-ion batteries in 2025. That works out to roughly 4.8 fires per day, and is up 147% compared to the previous three years.
Electric bikes were responsible for nearly a third of all calls – 520, to be exact – in the UK last year. Unsurprisingly, retrofitted models were involved in more incidents compared to those that shipped with batteries from the factory. For comparison, there were only 149 calls for ebike fires in 2022.
Electric vehicle fires shot up 133% over the past three years, which isn't all that surprising considering the...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to techspot.com. To see the full text click HERE
