The warehouse where over 200 e-scooters were damaged in a New Year's Day blaze had no fire alarms or smoke detectors, fire service notes reveal. There was just one medium-sized fire extinguisher in a building that stored hundreds of highly-flammable lithium-ion batteries.
The fire was determined to be accidental with the fire inspector saying that the cause of the fire was either scooter batteries overcharging and degrading or the use of multiple extension cords.
A spokesperson for Voi said in a statement that safety is their first priority and that they have worked alongside Avon Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that a fire like the one in the warehouse does not happen again.
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On Saturday, January 1, over 200 Voi electric scooters were damaged after a blaze broke out in a third-party warehouse in Brislington. Avon Fire and Rescue Service was at the scene for over four hours dealing with the fire and its aftermath.
The warehouse had no rear door - the only entrance was a roller shutter that firefighters had to cut open in order to get inside (pictured below). Firefighters removed all 203 e-scooters from the building and focused on the area where the fire appeared to have been concentrated.
The fire inspector notes say that all of the battery charging banks were involved in the fire, and firefighters removed them and placed them in water. There was one wall at the back of the room that suffered a "significant burn" in the area where the battery chargers were being stored.
In the fire service documents obtained by Bristol Live, it is revealed that there was no fire alarm system in the warehouse where the blaze broke out. Avon Fire and Rescue Service's investigator wrote: "There were no smoke or heat detectors inside the building and no fire suppression system. I found only one medium sized extinguisher in the whole building."
Current UK fire alarm regulations say that all commercial and business premises must have an appropriate fire detection system. They further say that the responsible person in a business "must take such general fire precautions as will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of any of his employees".
The warehouse housing the Voi e-scooters was overseen by a third party, and Voi said in a statement: "As a responsible business safety is our first priority, and Voi is fully compliant with all UK Health and Safety regulations in its warehouses".
The notes from the fire inspector further reveal that, in the area where the fire broke out, there were "multiple" extension leads with four sockets. The inspector wrote that those extension cords "appeared to be daisy-chained together", but added: "I cannot accurately confirm this with any certainty due to the melting of the majority of them."
The inspector said also said that they were not able to determine if all of those extension cords - used to charge the e-scooter batteries - were connected to just a single socket as they had melted completely.
However, the fire inspector did give two possible conclusions as to the source of the fire: either the extension leads or the scooter batteries "overcharging and degrading". The report was also clear that the fire was accidental.
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Matthew Pencharz, Voi’s Head of Public Policy for UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, said: “As a responsible business safety is our first priority, and Voi is fully compliant with all UK Health and Safety regulations in its warehouses, including careful measures when it comes to battery handling and disposal, to ensure the safety of its staff and operations.
“The incident on New Year’s Day occurred at our third-party warehouse and the official report by Avon Fire and Rescue Service stated that this incident was accidental due to an electrical fault.
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“We take all incidents extremely seriously, particularly when involving the emergency services. We have worked closely with Avon Fire and Rescue Service to thoroughly investigate and implement all necessary measures to ensure this situation doesn’t happen again, including thoroughly auditing the processes and practices in all places where work is undertaken on behalf of Voi.”
Avon Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Steve Quinton, temporary area manager for risk reduction says: “We continue to work together with Voi and welcome the steps forward they are taking to adjust their current policies and procedures.”
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