‘Fast. Fierce. Fatal.’ campaign targets lithium-ion battery fires

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has launched a campaign, ‘Fast. Fierce. Fatal.’, to raise awareness of the risks associated with fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. The campaign comes as Black Friday and the Christmas period approach, highlighting the potential hazards of devices including e-bikes, e-scooters, phones, laptops, vapes and drones.

Last year, a Coventry house fire linked to a converted e-bike battery resulted in the deaths of a couple and their two dogs.

WMFS data shows a rise in incidents involving lithium-ion batteries. The campaign highlights three key characteristics of these fires:

• FAST: They can start suddenly, often without warning, and spread within seconds.
• FIERCE: Such fires burn at extreme temperatures, release toxic fumes and explosive vapours, and can fill a home quickly.
• FATAL: People have died in such fires, typically with little chance to escape.

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 campaign includes visuals showing common devices on charge with glowing batteries to emphasise safe charging. It also provides practical advice:

Buying safely: Purchase from trusted retailers, use the correct charger, and avoid unbranded or cheap e-bike conversion kits or third-party sellers on online marketplaces.

Charging safely: Charge on a hard, flat surface away from flammable materials, do not leave batteries on charge overnight, keep escape routes clear, let batteries cool before charging, and follow manufacturer instructions.

Storing safely: Keep batteries and devices in cool, dry locations, away from combustible materials.

WMFS advises checking for signs of dangerous batteries, including overheating, swelling, leaking, hissing, burning smells, poor charging performance, or casing damage.

“In the weeks to come we’ll be sharing a range of safety advice on our website and social media channels. We’ll also be working with partner organisations to help get the message to a range of different audiences, including e-bike and e-scooter users. We hope the campaign will reach far and wide and, ultimately, save lives.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Ball

The NFCC has called on the Government to act urgently to close regulatory gaps when it comes to lithium-ion batteries, seeking enforceable product safety rules, tighter controls on online sales, improved battery disposal systems, public education campaigns, and investment in research to better equip fire and rescue services for these incidents. Read more here.

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