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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Libby Brooks

UK firefighters called to one lithium-ion battery fire every five hours

Fire hoses spray water onto a burning building on Glasgow's Union Street as emergency vehicles and personnel gather.
Firefighters at the scene of a fire in Glasgow in March that is believed to have started in a vape shop. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Fire brigades across the UK are tackling lithium-ion battery fires at a rate of one every five hours, figures show, as fire chiefs warn that public awareness and government regulation have not kept pace with the ubiquity of this new hazard.

Lithium-ion batteries power most rechargeable devices including mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, toys and vapes, as well as ebikes, e-scooters and electric vehicles.

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