Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) can confirm that the fatal house fire in Bootle last week in which a mother and three children lost their lives was caused by a lithium-ion battery.
Following an extensive investigation by the MFRS Incident Investigation Team (IIT) and Merseyside Police the cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical event causing a lithium-ion battery to go into thermal runaway.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, MFRS Fire Control received a 999 call and immediately mobilised crews, who arrived on scene at 3.45am. Six fire engines were on scene at the height of the incident.
On arrival at Stone Square, firefighters found a semi-detached house well alight. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus began searching the property and fighting the fire.
During the course of their search, firefighters discovered a woman and three children in an upstairs bedroom, showing no signs of life. North West Ambulance’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) tragically confirmed that all four had lost their lives.
MFRS Head of Prevention Kev Johnson said:
“This is a devastating incident, and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the mother and children who lost their lives and those who were injured. I would like to commend the efforts of our fire control staff and our fire crews, also working with NWAS colleagues, who made every effort to provide a different outcome, but sadly this was not the case due to the speed and intensity of the fire. This tragedy highlights the very real risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, which we confirmed as the source of the fire.”
Between April 2023 to August 2026, there have been 150 fires linked to items containing lithium-ion batteries in Merseyside. Of the 150 fires, 45% (67) have occurred in someone’s home. Of the fires that occurred in someone’s home, 45% (30) occurred between 9pm and 8am. Since April 2023 there have been five fatalities in Merseyside related to Lithium-Ion batteries, which is over a quarter of all fatalities in fires during that period.
MFRS Head of Prevention Kev Johnson said:
“We’re urging people to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, only using batteries and chargers which have been supplied with the vehicle or approved by the manufacturer, as anything else can pose a huge fire risk. It’s also important to know and recognise the signs that your lithium-ion battery may be failing – if it is swelling, making unusual sounds, has a strong smell, is failing to charge, or is smoking, please stop using it immediately.”
Fire crews will go out into the local community this week to provide safety advice and reassurance to residents.
Home fire safety advice for e-bikes, e-scooters and lithium-ion batteries:
- Always use manufacturer-recommended batteries and chargers
- Incompatible chargers and batteries increase the risk of fire -always use the correct charger for the correct battery
- Never block your escape route with anything, including e-bikes and e-scooters.
- Never charge e-bikes, e-scooters or lithium-ion batteries overnight, instead do this during the day and outside of the home when possible.
- Speak to your local bike shop for expert advice and guidance, instead of converting a bike into an e-bike yourself
- Always check your battery and charger meets UK safety standards
- Look after your battery- inspect for damage, if damaged stop using the battery and put it outside
- Let the battery cool before charging and always unplug your charger once it’s finished charging. Follow manufacturers’ instructions when charging and do not leave it unattended or charging while people are sleeping
- Ensure you have one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and check these are working every week
- Keep internal doors closed at night
- In the event of a fire in your home, get out, stay out and call 999
Signs a lithium-ion battery may be failing (the five Ss):
- Swell – A battery swelling or bulging out of shape is a common sign of it failing
- Sound - failing lithium batteries may also make hissing or cracking sounds
- Smell – A strong or unusual smell coming from the battery may mean the battery is failing
- Stopping – If your battery stops charging, doesn’t fully charge or takes too long to charge, this can also be a sign
- Smoke or gas – If your battery, bike or scooter is smoking, this means a fire is about to start. Get out, stay out, call 999
If you notice any of these, stop using the e-bike, e-scooter or battery straight away.
For fire safety advice, or if you do not have working smoke alarms in your property, call Fire Service Direct on 0800 731 5958. For more information or home fire safety advice, visit Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service’s Facebook (@MerseyFire), X (@MerseyFire), Instagram (@Mersey_Fire) and YouTube (@MerseyFire) or merseyfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/home-fire-safety/electric-bikes-and-scooters/
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown or email: [email protected]
