Lithium-ion battery fires are on the rise across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, so it is more important than ever that you only buy and use safe electronic products this festive season.
Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries found in electric bikes, scooters, cars, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and other common household devices.
The safety of these lithium-ion products depends on how they are manufactured, used, charged, stored and recycled.
This footage shows the damage from a lithium-ion battery scooter blaze earlier this month. The device was left charging overnight within an outbuilding and sparked a fire which spread to the roof of the bungalow.
From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 we recorded 156 battery related blazes in our area, an increase of 64 from the previous 12-month period, and an increase of 80 the year prior to that.
Over this three-year period Portsmouth saw 39 fires caused by batteries, with the Cosham area particularly impacted, seeing 11 incidents of this nature in 2025 alone.
Since 2022, Southampton has recorded 24 battery fires, with a further 18 on the Isle of Wight.
In recent weeks our crews have dealt with fires involving a child’s electric vehicle in Aldershot and an e-bike battery blaze in Fleet.
So far in November we have seen the following lithium-ion battery fires causing damage to properties across both Hampshire and the Isle of Wight:
- St Mary’s and Eastleigh firefighters responded to a second-floor flat fire in Southampton involving an electric scooter which was quickly removed from the property.
- In the early hours of the morning, Hamble, Hightown and St Mary’s crews were called to a lithium-ion battery scooter blaze, which spread from an outbuilding to the roof space of a bungalow.
- A conservatory on the Isle of Wight was well alight when crews from Newport, Ryde, Shanklin and Freshwater arrived on scene to tackle the fire caused by a camera’s battery, which was on charge at the time.
HIWFRS’ Prevention Manager, Tracey Webb said:
“At this time of year, we know lots of you across Hampshire and Isle of Wight will be out searching for the best gifts to give to your loved ones – we want to ensure those gifts are safe and don’t present a fire risk.
“When buying electrical products such as phones, tablets, e-scooters and other lithium-ion battery devices, we ask that you only do so from reputable retailers, ensuring they meet UK Safety Standards.
“Use the charger your product came with, don’t overload sockets and never leave them plugged in overnight or unattended.”
This video shows an on-charge electric scooter battery pack exploding and catching alight.
We are now well into the festive shopping season, with Black Friday just around the corner, so if you are braving the market, hunting for the best deals on the latest gadgets, make sure you know what to look out for to ensure your Christmas isn’t ruined by cheap, faulty goods.
- Buy from reputable retailers.
- Ensure the product is certified by checking for a UKCA or CE symbol.
- Register products online to be informed of product recalls.
- Use the charger your device came with, or purchase a replacement designed for the product from the same manufacturer.
