The fire that tore through a flat on Putney High Street last month wasn’t a one-off.
The London Fire Brigade noted at the time that a man suffered serious burns after lithium-ion batteries for a converted e-bike caught fire while on charge in the flat. The incident is part of a surge that has made e-bike and e-scooter batteries one of the capital’s fastest-growing fire risks this year.
In fact, a combination of cheap chargers and lithium-ion batteries has been responsible for three fires in Putney in the past four months. On 13 June, six engines and around 40 firefighters fought a major blaze that destroyed most of a house on Chelverton Road; at the time the cause was still under investigation but we understand the cause was a cheap charging unit.
And on 28 August, a small lithium battery thrown into household recycling ignited inside a Wandsworth waste truck, damaging the vehicle and forcing an emergency response. The council later warned residents not to bin loose batteries.
City-wide, the fire brigade this week issued an urgent safety warning after three severe home fires in one week – in Mitcham, Bethnal Green and Walthamstow – each believed to have been caused by catastrophic failures of e-bike lithium batteries. In the Walthamstow case, investigators say a converted e-bike left on charge in the living room was to blame.
Why these fires are happening
Fire investigators keep finding the same ingredients. Lithium-ion batteries pack high energy density; when they’re damaged, poorly made, mismatched with chargers, or over-charged, they can enter thermal runaway: a rapid, self-heating failure that produces intense flames and toxic smoke in seconds. The fire brigade’s recent briefings highlight the heightened risks around after-market or “conversion” kits and charging indoors.
The Brigade has launched a #ChargeSafe campaign that sets out practical steps for households and building managers, and it’s echoed by government guidance aimed at landlords and “responsible persons.”
The through-line is simple: use the correct, manufacturer-supplied charger; don’t charge while asleep; keep escape routes clear; charge on a hard, non-combustible surface; and avoid DIY conversions or second-hand batteries unless you are certain they’re compliant. Landlords are urged to prohibit charging in communal corridors and consider ventilated, dedicated charging or storage areas in multi-unit buildings.
Transport policy is shifting too: TfL now bans most non-folding e-bikes on the Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR, citing battery fire risks, with limited exceptions.
