Major e-bike warning issued across London ahead of Black Friday
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has issued a warning ahead of Black Friday following a record number of fires caused by e-bikes or e-scooters so far this year.
LFB urges consumers to be careful and watch out for dangers when purchasing these products from online marketplaces on the day of the big shopping sale.
Incompatible lithium-ion batteries or faulty conversion kits in e-bikes and e-scooters can cause fires that spread rapidly and create toxic smoke that can have catastrophic consequences.
Firefighters have responded to 18 related fires per month throughout 2025 that were cited as battery-related, and they estimate they will attend 200 e-bike and e-scooter fires by the end of the year.
There have been two deaths due to e-bike fires this year, bringing the total to five since 2023. In all five of these separate incidents, the deceased were not even the owners of the broken down e-bike.
“What may seem like savings in the short term can end up costing much more in the long run – even costing someone their life,” the LFB said.
‘It was as if a hand grenade had been thrown’
Jahmell Campbell, 24, was watching television at home in a first-floor flat with his father and grandmother in March when his e-scooter burst into flames.
The interior walls of the flat collapsed due to the intensity of the fire, leaving his grandmother’s flat in Catford, south-east London, completely destroyed and uninhabitable.
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Mr Campbell said: “It was as if a grenade had been thrown into the flat. The e-scooter had been charged for 45 minutes before the fire.”
“I bought the device online a year ago for £1,200 and had no problems. The only complication I had was the battery constantly cutting out on the day of the fire.
“I jumped out of a plateau window at the front of the first floor to escape. My father and grandmother escaped from the back of the property. I’ll never get an e-scooter again.”
“We have no chance! I don’t know how we got out of the house alive. My father had bad nightmares after the incident.”
‘In a matter of minutes, my family lost our home’
Jo Frost lost her home, where she had lived for 23 years, in an e-bike fire after purchasing a talking kit from a second-hand online marketplace. Her 14-year-old son Ollie, his friend and the family dog narrowly escaped the flames.
Mrs Frost said: “The e-bike burst into flames while charging in the front room, trapping my son and his friend on the first floor as the fire spread up the stairs. “Luckily he had the presence of mind to close the bedroom door immediately and prevented the fire from spreading into his room.
“Within minutes my family lost our house and everything in it due to a fire caused by an electric bike. Everything I lost is financial. Luckily my son Ollie, his friend and his dog are safe but we had to start from scratch.
“I wasn’t aware of the dangers or unregulated nature of purchasing a conversion kit online. I hope hearing my story will warn others of the potential dangers.”
Conversion kits allow customers to convert a regular pedal bike into an e-bike. However, if they are not installed correctly, they pose a dangerous fire risk.
Kits rarely come with batteries or chargers; This leads to shoppers purchasing these items separately and potentially purchasing an incompatible product.
Incompatible, substandard, faulty or damaged chargers can cause batteries to overcharge, increasing the risk of batteries catching fire.
The LFB warned that buying an e-bike or e-scooter from an online marketplace poses a significantly higher risk of fire due to a lack of regulation.
In contrast, high street retailers are more likely to stock products containing batteries and chargers that meet UKCA or CE safety standards.
During one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, LFB broadcast the warning on Europe’s largest digital screen in Piccadilly Circus.
London fire commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “As we have seen, these fires have devastating consequences – they can be fast, explosive, toxic and deadly.”
Jules Pipe, deputy mayor of the fire service, said: “E-bikes are at the top of many sale shoppers’ wish lists in the run-up to Christmas, but buying online can come with risks. “We’ve seen a record number of e-bike and e-scooter fires in London this year, with many of them in people’s homes.
“I would urge Londoners to think twice about purchasing an e-bike or conversion kit from online markets and encourage them to buy from reputable retailers – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is and it can be extremely dangerous.”
The LFB’s #ChargeSafe campaign raises awareness of the fire risks associated with e-bikes and e-scooters and seeks changes to regulation to prevent poor quality batteries, chargers and conversion kits from being sold on online markets.
