London is on track for a record year of e-bike and e-scooter fires, new analysis reveals.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has recorded 165 incidents involving these vehicles by 28 September 2025.
Averaging around 18 per month, the capital is projected to exceed 200 fires in a single year for the first time if the current trend persists.
Eden Abera Siem, 30, died in hospital after being rescued by firefighters when a blaze – which investigators found was probably caused by the failure of a charging e-bike battery – broke out at her home on Lordship Lane, Wood Green on June 21.
That was the fourth fatal e-bike fire recorded in the capital.
In all four cases, the victim did not own or use the e-bike involved.
Pamela Oparaocha, LFB assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, said: “We continue to see the devastating consequences of e-bike and e-scooter fires in London.
“Our thoughts are with the family of Eden as well as all those who have been impacted by fires in recent years.
“Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters are worryingly common in London.
“Since the beginning of 2023, we have attended a fire, on average, every other day, and some of these fires have destroyed homes and claimed lives.”
Fires involving lithium batteries – which are used for e-bikes and e-scooters – can spread rapidly and produce a toxic vapour.
Products such as batteries, chargers and e-bike conversion kits bought from online marketplaces are at greater risk of malfunctioning because they have not been subjected to the same level of regulation as high street shops, LFB said.
The LFB said gig economy companies should do more to raise awareness about fire risks from e-bikes.
It wrote to delivery companies Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo this week to ask them to share safety advice with their riders.
In October last year, the Department for Business and Trade launched a campaign calling on people to buy only safe electrical products from reputable sellers.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of charity Electrical Safety First, said: “We urge the Government to be brave and bold when considering what regulations they will introduce to tackle these fires, and continue to advocate for the introduction of third-party certification for e-bike batteries to ensure they are safe before they can be sold on the UK market.
“Strict new safety standards for conversion kits that turn push bikes into e-bikes must also be urgently introduced, alongside tough new laws to clamp down on online marketplace giants whose platforms commonly host the sale of substandard goods.”
