Warning over vape battery fires threat

69 BLAZES BLAMED ON LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES IN 2024, SAY FIREFIGHTERS

- HARRY LEACH News Reporter

FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after a sharp rise in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the West Midlands.

The batteries can be found in devices such as vapes, e-bikes, e-scooters, phones and laptops.

Karlo Bogdan, 24, and Natasha Johnson-Mall, 27, and their two dogs, lost their lives last year in a Coventry house fire started by a battery in a bike converted into an e-bike.

Investigators said the blaze had started when the batteries on the e-bike ignited and ‘rapidly escalated into an intense blaze!’

In 2023, West Midlands Fire Service responded to 40 incidents involving lithium-ion batteries and that number increased to 69 in 2024.