West Midlands Fire Service has launched a public awareness campaign warning of the dangers linked to lithium-ion battery fires.
The initiative, titled “Fast. Fierce. Fatal.”, follows a rise in incidents involving devices such as e-bikes, e-scooters, phones, laptops and vapes.
A couple and their two dogs died last year in a Coventry house fire started by a bike battery that had been converted to an e-bike.
WMFS attended 40 lithium-ion battery incidents in 2023. The figure rose to 69 in 2024. By 31 October this year, crews had already responded to 65 – an increase of 6.6 per cent on the same period last year and more than double the number in 2023. Fires involving e-bikes rose from six in 2023 to 13 in 2024 and 16 by the end of October 2025.
The campaign features striking graphics showing common rechargeable devices with glowing batteries to highlight the importance of buying and charging safely. Items shown include an e-bike, e-scooter, vape, drone, mobile phone and remote-controlled car.
Fire services are joining forces nationwide to share simple safety messages as Black Friday and Christmas approach. WMFS said the risk of a high-quality lithium-ion battery failing is low, but failures can still occur unexpectedly, and many people are unaware of the dangers linked to purchasing, charging and storing devices.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Ball said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of Karlo and Natasha who lost their lives so unnecessarily a year ago.
“As Black Friday and Christmas approach, we’re asking people to take extra care when buying gifts – and to make sure devices with lithium-ion batteries are charged safely.
“The vast majority of us use lithium-ion batteries and devices safely, day in, day out. But the risks grow as we use them more. ‘Fast. Fierce. Fatal.’ is designed to encourage safe buying, charging and storage.”
WMFS will publish safety information online and work with partner organisations to reach different audiences, including e-bike and e-scooter users. The service said it hopes the campaign will prevent further incidents and save lives.
