How emerging battery risks are changing fire safety responsibilities, risk assessments and day-to-day building management

UK fire services are now attending a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours. That figure, drawn from a Freedom of Information request published by QBE in May 2026 covering 42 of the UK’s 49 fire services, represents a scale of risk that has moved well beyond the occasional headline about an e-bike catching fire in someone’s hallway. Nearly a quarter of these incidents – 23% – are occurring in commercial properties.

E-bike fires alone have more than tripled since 2022, with 520 recorded in 2025. London Fire Brigade attended 230 of those, and in 2026 the Brigade reports attending an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day. The pattern is consistent across the country: West Yorkshire recorded 126 lithium-ion battery fires in 2025, Lancashire 117.

The commercial building dimension

The conversation around lithium-ion fires has focused heavily on residential risk, and understandably so – 46% of incidents occur in people’s homes. But the 23% occurring in commercial premises raises specific questions for responsible persons that most fire risk assessments have not yet addressed.

Staff are charging e-bikes in lobbies, storerooms, loading bays, and under-stair cupboards. Delivery drivers leave devices charging in communal areas. Contractors bring battery-powered tools on site. In each case, a lithium-ion battery is being introduced into an area that was not designed with that fire load in mind, and whose fire detection may not be configured to respond to the particular characteristics of a thermal runaway event.

A lithium-ion battery in thermal runaway does not behave like a conventional fire. It produces intense, localised heat with toxic gas emission before open flame becomes visible. Heat detectors alone will not provide early warning. The detection strategy needs to account for the gases produced in the early stages of cell failure – and that means reviewing whether current detector types and positions are adequate.

The regulatory position

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to assess fire risks and implement appropriate measures. That obligation is not static. As the use of lithium-ion batteries in commercial settings has grown, the risk profile of many buildings has changed without a corresponding update to their fire risk assessments.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which received Royal Assent in July 2025, gives the Government powers to overhaul product safety regulations targeting uncertified products, including e-bikes purchased through online marketplaces. Secondary legislation is expected to follow consultation, but the Act does not remove the responsibility on building operators to manage the risks already present in their premises.

QBE’s data shows that converted or retrofitted e-bikes are involved in fires more frequently than factory-manufactured models. That is a useful data point for anyone drafting a charging policy: the risk is not uniform across all devices, and policies that distinguish between certified and uncertified products have a stronger evidential basis.

Practical steps for responsible persons

First, review the fire risk assessment with lithium-ion battery use specifically in scope. Most FRAs written before 2024 will not mention it. Identify where batteries are being charged, stored, or brought on site, and assess whether the fire detection in those areas is appropriate.

Second, establish a charging policy. This does not need to be complex, but it should set out where devices may be charged, prohibit charging in escape routes and unventilated storerooms, require the use of original chargers, and specify that devices should not be left charging unattended overnight.

Third, review detection. Optical smoke detectors are more responsive to the early stages of lithium-ion failure than heat detectors alone. If batteries are being charged in areas served only by heat detection, or in areas with no detection at all, that gap needs closing.

Fourth, brief staff. The response to a lithium-ion battery fire is not the same as a conventional fire. Water can be used on lithium-ion fires but the volume required is substantial, and the toxic gases produced mean that ventilation and evacuation take priority over containment in many commercial settings.

The direction of travel

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service is the only UK service to have reported a year-on-year reduction in lithium-ion fires, a pattern that coincided with updated safety guidance published in 2023. The implication is clear: proactive management and awareness make a measurable difference. The national trend, without intervention, is upward.

For building owners and facilities managers, the question is not whether lithium-ion batteries are present in your building. They almost certainly are. The question is whether your fire risk assessment, your detection, and your charging arrangements reflect that reality.

To discuss a review of your fire detection or fire risk assessment, contact New Path Fire and Security at newpathfire.co.uk or speak to your local group company directly.

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