E-bike and e-scooter battery fires are rising. Here's what actually helps.

Electric bikes and scooters have quietly become one of the most common lithium-ion fire risks in Australian homes. They carry big battery packs, they charge indoors, often in hallways, garages and near exits, and they charge unattended and overnight. That combination is exactly where things go wrong.

The numbers back it up. Fire and Rescue NSW attended at least 318 lithium-ion battery fires in 2024, up from 272 in 2023 and 165 in 2022. By late 2025, crews were responding to around six lithium-ion fires a week, most of them e-bikes, e-scooters and household devices. (Source: Fire and Rescue NSW.)

Why these fires are different

When a lithium-ion cell fails, it enters thermal runaway: a self-sustaining reaction that generates its own heat, drives neighbouring cells into failure, and releases toxic, flammable gas. It can flare with almost no warning, and it can reignite hours after the visible flames are out.

That's why the usual instincts don't work well. A failing battery pack doesn't behave like burning paper or fabric, and knocking down the visible flame doesn't cool the cells underneath, which is why these fires so often come back.

Why an ordinary fire blanket isn't enough

A standard kitchen fire blanket is designed for a small cooking fire, not the extreme, sustained heat of a battery in thermal runaway. Lithium-ion fires burn hotter, last longer and give off toxic gas, so the blanket you reach for needs to be built and tested for those conditions.

Our e-bike and e-scooter fire blanket is tested to the European EN 13501 fire safety standard. There is currently no Australian Standard specific to lithium-ion battery fires, so European testing is the highest recognised benchmark available, and it's the one we build to.

What a fire blanket actually does (and what it doesn't)

Here's the honest version, because it matters. A fire blanket will not fully extinguish a battery that's already in thermal runaway. Nothing you drape over a pack can. What it does do is smother the flames, contain the fire, and slow it from spreading to everything around it, the other bike, the wall, the car, the exit. That containment buys you the most valuable thing in an emergency: time. Time to get people out, and time for the fire brigade to arrive.

Used properly, it turns a fast-spreading room fire into a contained incident. That's the whole job, and it's a big one.

Where to keep it, and how to use it

A fire blanket only helps if it's within reach of the risk. Keep it where you charge and store the bike or scooter, wall-mounted or in a clearly labelled spot, not in a cupboard on the other side of the house.

If a battery catches fire and it is safe to do so, cover the burning e-bike or e-scooter with the blanket to smother the flames and contain the fire, then get clear. Don't lift the blanket to check, and don't put yourself at risk. With a little practice, deployment takes around 60 to 90 seconds, and two people can do it faster and more safely than one. It's worth unrolling it once when it arrives so you're familiar with it, without exposing it to any fire.

And whatever equipment you have, the first step in a real fire is always the same: get everyone clear and call 000. The blanket contains the fire until the professionals arrive; it does not replace them.

The details

Our E-Bike and E-Scooter Fire Blanket is 2m x 2m and weighs about 2.2kg, a practical size for homes, workshops, garages and any facility where these are charged or stored. It suits eMTB, e-road, e-cargo, folding and cruiser e-bikes, as well as e-scooters. It's single-use emergency protection, so once it has been used on a fire, replace it. It comes with a 12-month warranty and is priced at $165.

If you charge an e-bike or e-scooter indoors, this is one of the simplest, lowest-cost steps you can take to protect your home. Keep one where you charge, learn how it deploys, and you've turned an unknown into a plan.

Shop the E-Bike and E-Scooter Fire Blanket, or talk to us if you're not sure what you need for your setup.

Stay safe, stay prepared.