It comes a year after a young couple and their two dogs tragically died in a house fire caused by the battery on a converted e-bike.
The campaign, Fast. Fierce. Fatal., was unveiled today (24 November 2025) following a sharp rise in incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in household devices.
WMFS said the initiative aims to support fire services, local authorities and waste operators in reducing preventable fires at homes, kerbside and waste facilities.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Ball commented: “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.”
Rising lithium-ion battery fire risk
Lithium-ion batteries are now embedded in a wide range of everyday products, from e-bikes and e-scooters to vapes, cordless tools, kitchen gadgets and children’s toys.
WMFS attended 40 lithium-ion battery–related incidents in 2023, climbing to 69 in 2024.
By 31 October 2025, the service had already responded to 65 incidents – a 6.6% rise on the same ten months the previous year, and more than double the figure for the equivalent period in 2023.
Incidents specifically involving e-bikes and their batteries rose from six in 2023 to 13 in 2024, and 16 in the first ten months of 2025.
Alongside household fires, binned batteries continue to fuel waste industry fires, with the national cost now estimated at over £1 billion a year.
Waste operators increasingly report fires triggered by crushed or punctured batteries at materials recycling facilities (MRFs) and during collection rounds.
Between June and September 2025, Biffa uncovered more than 840,000 discarded vapes across just four of its major sites in Teesside, Walsall, Ipswich and North London.
Biffa reports that since June 2025, it has recorded more than 180 fires across its UK operations linked to lithium-ion batteries.
Fast. Fierce. Fatal.
WMFS has produced a suite of graphics, messages and educational materials intended for use by fire services, councils and industry partners across the UK.
The campaign focuses on the devices most commonly implicated in lithium-ion battery fires, including:
- e-bikes and e-scooters
- mobile phones and tablets
- laptops
- vapes
- mobility scooters
- cordless tools and vacuums
- electric toothbrushes
- kitchen gadgets and toys
In addition to household safety advice, the messaging emphasises proper disposal. WMFS has urged residents to return batteries and battery-powered devices to designated recycling points rather than placing them in general or recycling bins.
Ball added: “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.”
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