Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Hit 1,760 in UK as Damage and Misuse Drive 25,000 US Incidents
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jun 9
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Hit 1,760 in UK as Damage and Misuse Drive 25,000 US Incidents
2 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jun 9
Summary
UK fire services handled 1,760 lithium-ion battery fires in 2025—about one every five hours—up 147% in three years, while US agencies logged roughly 25,000 fire or overheating incidents over five years.
Thermal runaway is the main failure mechanism, typically triggered by physical damage, overcharging, short circuits, high heat, manufacturing defects, or incompatible chargers and cables.
E-bikes, e-scooters and vapes stand out as higher-risk products; in the UK, e-bike fires made up nearly a third of lithium-ion battery fires last year, and retrofitted bikes were riskier than factory-made models.
Warning signs include unusual heat, swelling, chemical odors, hissing, smoke or vapor. If a device starts smoking or burning, move it to a non-flammable area if safe, call emergency services, and cool it with an ABC extinguisher or plenty of water if it is not plugged into AC power.
Air travel is also seeing more incidents, with the FAA reporting nearly two lithium-battery fires a week, underscoring how the spread of rechargeable devices is widening fire risk across homes, streets and transport.