The fire service has shared a crucial update on the cause of a blaze that burned hundreds of Voi e-scooters in a warehouse on New Year's Day.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service was deployed to the blaze in a warehouse in Brislington at 12.38pm on Saturday, January 1, and were still at the scene four hours later.
An investigation was conducted by the fire service who shared an update today confirming that the flames broke out from one of the e-scooters batteries.
READ MORE: Hundreds of Voi e-scooters damaged after blaze breaks out in warehouse
This is the second Voi blaze in less than one month caused by a battery erupting into flames. In December, some e-scooters were pulled in Bristol after one began burning in a man's home.
In response to a Twitter user asking about the cause of the latest fire, the Bedminster Fire Station responded by saying: "This was caused by the battery chargers and the large amount of batteries charging."
Explaining the photograph posted to social media of a pile of blackened e-scooters, the fire station said: "The pic is the amount of scooters that were taken out of the warehouse and had to be made safe."
The Voi e-scooter batteries contain chemicals that are very damaging to the environment, a concern that was expressed by a Twitter user, but the Bedminster Fire Station responded by saying: "This was contained on the fire ground and stopped from going into the drains".
A spokesperson for the service said at the time that firefighters monitored the situation throughout the evening to make sure the fire did not re-ignite, which they said is common in blazes caused by lithium batteries such as those in the scooters.
E-scooters generally have been banned from the London Underground due to the risk of fire (Voi does not operate in London, but other providers do).
Following the fire on January 1, a spokesperson for Voi said: "We can confirm that on the 1st of January the fire brigade was at our third-party logistics warehouse, located on Dixon Road in Bristol.
"No one was injured and the situation was quickly brought under control. We are conducting a thorough investigation and collaborating with the local fire service to identify what caused the fire.
“We do not expect any major effects on our operation in the region.”
Voi and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) have been contacted for an updated statement and further information on any ongoing investigations.
Want our best stories with fewer ads and alerts when the biggest news stories drop? Download our app on iPhone or Android
