London facing record number of e-bike fires as fire chief warns incidents are now 'worryingly common'

London is on course for a record number of e-bike fires this year, with firefighters responding to incidents almost every other day.

Preliminary figures from the London Fire Brigade reveal that 165 e-bike and e-scooter fires have been recorded in the capital so far this year — a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

If the current trend continues, London is expected to see more than 200 such incidents in a single year for the first time.

At least one person has died as a result of an e-bike fire this year, with several others injured.

Eden Abera Siem, 30, died after a fire broke out in a bedsit on Lordship Lane, Wood Green, on June 21.

She was found unconscious inside the property and pulled from the blaze by firefighters, but died in hospital later that day.

A London Fire Brigade investigation found the fire was most likely sparked by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery pack from a charging e-bike.

Ms Siem's death is the fourth fatal e-bike fire since 2023 — and in each case, the victim was not the owner or user of the e-bike involved.

“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,” Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection, Pamela Oparaocha said.

“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.”

Second-hand e-bike batteries and chargers bought online are behind most of the fires, as the products are often poorly made, unregulated, and more likely to fail than those sold by high-street retailers.

The London Fire Brigade said there was evidence that gig economy workers were living at the property where the fatal fire in Wood Green.

Firefighters have urged gig economy companies to do more to raise awareness among their riders about the fire risks linked to e-bikes.