'Nothing's changed': House fires caused by e-bikes multiply as families of victims demand justice

Exclusive data by ITV News found that in just two years, there has been a 204% increase in the number of e-bike fires across the country. By ITV News' Consumer Editor Chris Choi and Deputy Content Editor Sophia Ankel

Instead of ringing in the New Year in 2023, Maria Frasquilho Macarro found out her 21-year-old daughter had died.

Portuguese bartender Sofia Duarte was sleeping in her second floor flat in Southwark, London, when the lithium battery of her boyfriend's e-bike exploded in their hallway, causing a raging house fire.

While her boyfriend managed to survive by jumping out of the window, Sofia decided to take the stairs - and was never seen again.

In her first TV interview, Ms Macarro told ITV News that her daughter was "the most important thing in my entire life".

"One minute, two minutes, everything is over," she added.

Following an investigation, the London Fire Brigade found that the bicycle’s unbranded battery pack had failed, causing the fire and blocking Sofia’s escape route.  

Now, the 21-year-old's name is among a growing list of victims whose lives have been taken by e-bike or e-scooter fires - an occurrence that is becoming more common across the country.

Exclusive data obtained by ITV News via Freedom of Information requests found that 94.7% of fire services in the UK have recorded an increase of house fires caused by e-bike and e-scooter explosions in the last four years.

In just two years, there has been a 204% increase in the number of e-bike fires.

Of all the fire services, Greater Manchester, London, East Sussex, Merseyside, and Avon Fire and Rescue recorded the most cases, for both e-bikes and e-scooters.

But the capital appears to be struggling the most: In 2023, London recorded 143 e-bike fires and 36 e-scooter fires, which on average, worked out at a fire every other day.

These fires resulted in three deaths and around 60 injuries.

"Nothing's changed": Ms Macarro told ITV News the Government has done very little since her daughter's death on January 1, 2023

The LFB's Deputy Commissioner Charlie Pugsley told ITV News that e-bike and e-scooter fires were the "fastest growing fire trend" in London.

"When one of these fires starts, it can go from nothing to a fireball in under five seconds -that is just far more rapid than a normal fire," he said.

Mr Pugsley added that a large number of explosions in London - 40% of them - were the result of dodgy conversion kits that are used to turn a normal bicycle into an electrical bike.

The conversion packs - consisting of a motor, a battery, a charger, and control gear - can easily be bought online and are cheaper than buying an electric bike from a retailer.

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But a large quantity of the packs have been deemed unsafe - whether its because of mismatched voltage on battery packs and chargers, or because of the way they are fitted by amateurs, the Deputy Commissioner added.

"When someone is buying [conversion kits] online, there is greater chance that you could be buying a product that is not fully safe," Mr Puglsey said.

At the time of writing, there are no specific regulations for conversion kits and manufacturers can self-declare that e-bike and e-scooter batteries meet safety standards. 

London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Charlie Pugsley is urging government action over what he calls the "fastest growing fire trend" in London

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) said earlier this year that it would be undertaking product safety review consultation - but has not yet published the results.

When asked about an update by ITV News, an OPSS spokesperson said: "We are overhauling our product safety laws to ensure government has the right powers to remove unsafe products from the market as soon as possible.  

"Making sure e-bikes that pose a fire risk to the public are kept off our streets will be a key focus of our reforms."

Almost a dozen people have so far died from house fires linked to e-scooter and e-bikes exploding in the UK. Click here to see a few of them.

They declined an interview as did Labour's new Fire Minister, Dame Diana Johnson.

At the Kings Speech last month, the new Government said that a new bill will seek to “address challenges such as the fire risk associated with e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries.”

Mr Pugsley told ITV News: "We strongly believe there should be legislation ... for e-bike conversion kits, batteries, just so that when we buy them, we know that we're not going to unintentionally mismatch a battery with a charger and see a real risk of a fire," Mr Pugsley added.

Despite a lack of regulation, e-bike sales in the UK have accelerated into a market worth more than £300 million a year, according to government figures.

Gez Medinger, the owner of London eBike Conversion in north London, told ITV News he believes that, when bought and fitted right, conversion kits are an affordable option for e-bike riders.

Mr Medinger warned customers to watch out for second-hand batteries online

An engineer by background, Mr Medinger is one of the few people in London helping to fit e- bikes and said that since starting his business in 2021, he has converted more than 150 of them.

He told ITV News: "As long as people follow some very simple rules, like use the right charger and with the right battery and buy good quality kit, then, in principle, there is no reason why a home built conversion can't be completely safe.

"The issue is where people buy second-hand equipment that may have not been treated correctly.

"They may have added a second battery to an existing conversion - that's where it starts getting a little more complex and introduces a layer of risk that may be undesirable."

E-bike conversion advice from London Fire Brigade and experts:

• Always buy from a reputable seller

• If you buy a conversion kit, only buy a complete set with a matched battery and charger

• Make sure the voltage of the battery matches the voltage of the charger

• Always have it fitted by a competent person or a professional

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