Why London’s ebike fires could make Black Friday costlier than expected

Record ebike fires prompt Black Friday warning

London Fire Brigade has issued a Black Friday warning to shoppers after recording its highest yearly total of e-bike and e-scooter battery fires in London.

The Brigade said firefighters are now attending an average of 18 incidents a month in 2025 where an e-bike or e-scooter battery is the cause.

According to the Brigade, fires involving lithium-ion batteries are fast, produce toxic smoke and can cause extensive damage in a short time.

This year two people have died in fires started by an e-bike in London, taking the total to five since 2023.

The Brigade stated that in all five incidents the person who died did not own the e-bike involved.

London Fire Brigade warned that products bought from online marketplaces can carry a higher fire risk due to weaker controls on batteries, chargers and conversion kits.

By comparison, the Brigade said high street retailers are more likely to sell products with batteries and chargers that comply with UKCA or CE safety standards.

Black Friday focus on ebike fires and unsafe deals

To reach shoppers during one of the busiest retail weeks of the year, the Brigade took its #ChargeSafe campaign into the West End on Tuesday 25 November 2025.

The campaign included an awareness video broadcast on the Piccadilly Lights screen in Piccadilly Circus, which the Brigade described as the largest digital screen in Europe.

Firefighters used the event to speak directly with members of the public, share advice and hand out leaflets on safer charging and purchasing.

London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “We have already tackled a record number of fires this year which have been caused by either an e-bike or e-scooter, we urge Londoners to be careful when purchasing one of these items.

“As we have seen, these fires have devastating consequences – they are fast, explosive, toxic and can be fatal.

“Buying from an online marketplace could significantly increase the risk of fire due to the lack of regulation.

“Without knowing it, you could be purchasing a faulty, damaged or incompatible product and putting yourself, and everyone around you at risk.

“Everyone wants a great Black Friday deal, but please buy e-bikes and e-scooters from reputable retailers where products are more likely to meet UK safety standards.”

The Brigade urged people thinking of buying e-bikes, e-scooters or conversion kits in seasonal sales to prioritise products that meet recognised safety standards.

It warned that short-term savings on unregulated products could lead to property loss, injury or death if a battery fails and starts a fire.

Residents describe impact of home battery fires

London Fire Brigade highlighted several case studies to show the domestic impact of e-bike and e-scooter fires.

One case involved a mother-of-three from Bromley, Jo Frost, whose home of 23 years was destroyed after an e-bike conversion kit bought from a second-hand marketplace failed.

Her 14-year-old son, his friend and the family dog escaped the fire, but the property and its contents were lost.

Jo Frost said: “The e-bike was charging in the front room when it burst into flames, my son and his friend were trapped on the first floor due to the fire spreading up the stairs.

“Thankfully, he had the quick thinking to shut his bedroom door, preventing the fire from spreading to his room.

“In minutes my family lost our home 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 have had to start from scratch.

“I wasn’t aware of the dangers of buying a conversion kit online – or that it wasn’t regulated.

“I hope that hearing my story will warn others of the potential dangers.”

The Brigade said conversion kits can increase fire risk when not installed correctly, particularly if batteries and chargers are bought separately and are incompatible.

It explained that sub-standard or mismatched chargers can lead to overcharging, which raises the chance of a battery going into thermal runaway and igniting.

E-scooter flat fire case shared at campaign event

At the Piccadilly Circus event, London Fire Brigade also shared the experience of London resident Jahmell Campbell, whose first-floor flat was left uninhabitable after an e-scooter fire.

He was at home with his father and grandmother in March when the e-scooter burst into flames.

Campbell said the battery had been charged 45 minutes before the fire and had begun cutting out earlier in the day.

He told the Brigade that he had purchased the device online for £1,200 a year earlier and had not previously experienced problems.

Jahmell said: “It was like a grenade had been thrown into the flat.

“The e-scooter had been charged 45 mins before the fire.

“I bought the device a year ago online for £1200 and never had any trouble.

“The only complication I had was on the day of the fire when the battery kept cutting out.

“I jumped out of the front first floor flat window to escape.

“My dad and my grandma escaped via the back of the property.

“I would never get another e-scooter. No chance!

“I am not sure how we all made it out of the house alive.

“My dad had bad nightmares after the incident.

“I hope London Fire Brigade’s Piccadilly Lights event raises much more awareness.”

The Brigade said the incident showed how quickly an internal wall structure can fail under intense heat from a battery fire.

According to the Brigade, the flat was completely destroyed, leaving the household displaced.

Campaign partnerships and regulatory changes on e-bike safety

London Fire Brigade said the #ChargeSafe campaign was launched in April 2023 after the death of Sofia Duarte, the first Londoner to die in an e-bike fire.

The Brigade reported that incidents have continued to rise since the campaign launch, with this year recording the highest number of e-bike and e-scooter fires to date.

To reach people at the point of purchase, London Fire Brigade has partnered with Amazon so that #ChargeSafe safety advice can be shared with customers when they buy relevant products.

The Brigade has also worked with Trading Standards and delivery company Deliveroo to extend messaging to people who use e-bikes and e-scooters for work.

London Fire Brigade said it supported the Government during development of the Product Regulation and Meteorology Act, which passed earlier in 2025.

Once implemented, the Act is expected to regulate the sale of poor-quality e-bikes, e-scooters, batteries and chargers through tighter product rules.

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for the Fire Service, said: “E-bikes are top of the wish list for many people shopping in the sales, in the run up to Christmas, but buying online can come with risks.

“In London we’ve seen a record number of e-bike and e-scooter fires this year – with most taking place in people’s homes.

“I urge Londoners to think twice about buying an e-bike or conversion kit from online marketplaces and encourage them to shop with reputable retailers – if it seems too good to be true it probably is and could be extremely dangerous.

“The Mayor and I will continue to support the work of the London Fire Brigade and partners to improve e-bike safety, strengthen regulation and raise awareness of the dangers, as we build a safer London for everyone.”

London Fire Brigade said it will continue to use community events and partnerships to share practical charging and storage advice and to press for tighter controls on unsafe products.

How rising ebike fires affect safety practice

Rising e-bike and e-scooter fire numbers in London provide operational data for fire and rescue chiefs and senior officers when planning prevention campaigns, incident response and resource allocation for high-density housing.

The concentration of incidents in homes gives fire safety officers, risk assessors and building services engineers further evidence for reviewing guidance on charging locations, escape routes and domestic fire detection.

The focus on online marketplaces and unregulated conversion kits is relevant to government departments, standards and certification bodies and Trading Standards teams that oversee the Product Regulation and Meteorology Act and related enforcement activity.

Partnerships with retailers and delivery platforms show emergency and disaster response managers and training officers how targeted advice at the point of sale and in high-use sectors can support behaviour change.

The experiences shared by affected residents may inform training content for firefighters and community safety teams by illustrating real-world fire development, smoke spread and escape challenges in battery-related incidents.