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London Fire Brigade (LFB) issued a warning before black friday After a record number of fires An e-bike or e-scooter so far this year.
LFB is urging consumers to be careful buy these products You will get huge shopping discounts from online marketplace today aware of the dangers,
Incompatible lithium-ion batteries or faulty conversion kits in e-bikes and e-scooters can cause fires, which spread rapidly and produce toxic smoke with devastating consequences.
Firefighters have so far responded to 18 related fires a month in 2025 where batteries were the cause, and they estimate they will address 200 e-bike and e-scooter fires by the end of the year.
This year, two people have lost their lives due to fire in e-bike, taking the total to five that have lost their lives since 2023. In all these five separate incidents, the people who lost their lives did not even own the e-bike that broke down.
“What may appear as savings in the short term may have huge costs in the long term – it could even cost a life,” the LFB said.
‘It felt as if a grenade had been thrown’
Jahmel Campbell, 24, was at home watching TV in his first-floor flat with his father and grandmother in March when his e-scooter caught fire.
Due to the intensity of the fire, the interior walls of the flat collapsed and his grandmother’s flat in Catford, south-east London, was completely destroyed, rendering it uninhabitable.
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Mr Campbell said: “It was as if a grenade had been thrown into the flat. The e-scooter had been charged 45 minutes before the fire.
“I bought this device online a year ago for £1,200 and have never had any problems. The only problem I had was on the day of the fire when the battery kept cutting out.
“I jumped out of the window of the first floor flat to escape. My father and my grandmother ran out the back of the property. I will never get another e-scooter.
“No chance! I’m not sure how we all got out of the house alive. My dad has nightmares after the incident.”
‘Within minutes my family lost their home’
Jo Frost lost her home, where she had lived for 23 years, in a fire caused by an e-bike where a conversation kit was purchased from an online second-hand market. Their 14-year-old son Ollie, his friend and the family dog narrowly escaped the flames.
Ms Frost said: “The e-bike was charging in the front room when it caught fire, my son and his friend were trapped on the first floor as the fire spread up the stairs. Thankfully, he immediately closed his bedroom door, preventing the fire from spreading to his room.
“Within minutes, my family lost our house and everything inside due to a fire caused by an e-bike. Everything I lost is material. Luckily my son Ollie, his friend and the dog are all safe, but we had to start from scratch.
“I didn’t know about the dangers of buying a conversion kit online – or that it wasn’t regulated. I hope hearing my story will warn other people about the potential dangers.”
The conversion kit allows customers to convert a normal pedal bike into an e-bike. However, if they are not installed correctly, they pose a dangerous fire hazard.
Kits rarely come with batteries or chargers, leading buyers to purchase these items separately and potentially purchase an incompatible product.
An incompatible, substandard, defective or damaged charger may cause the battery to be overcharged and increases the risk of battery fire.
The LFB warned that purchasing e-bikes or e-scooters from online marketplaces poses a significantly higher risk of fire due to the lack of regulation.
In contrast, high street retailers are more likely to stock products with batteries and chargers that meet UKCA or CE safety standards.
During one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, the LFB broadcast the warning on Europe’s largest digital screen in Piccadilly Circus.
London’s Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “As we have seen, these fires have devastating consequences – they are fast, explosive, toxic and can be fatal.”
Jules Pipe, deputy mayor of the fire service, said: “E-bikes are top of the wish list for many people shopping in the run-up to Christmas sales, but online shopping can come with risks. In London we have seen a record number of e-bike and e-scooter fires this year – the majority of which have started in people’s homes.
“I urge Londoners to think twice about purchasing e-bikes or conversion kits from online marketplaces and encourage them to shop with reputable retailers – if it sounds too good to be true it could potentially be extremely dangerous.”
LFB’s #ChargeSafe campaign raises awareness of the fire hazards associated with e-bikes and e-scooters, and is demanding changes to regulation to stop poor quality batteries, chargers and conversion kits being sold through online marketplaces.