Freedom of Information request - EV fires
Case reference FOI2026/00240
Received 1 March 2026
Published 13 April 2026
Request
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to incidents involving electric vehicles attended by your Fire and Rescue Authority. For the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025 (or the most recent five-year period for which data is available), please provide the following information:
1. The total number of incidents attended involving fires in electric vehicles (including fully electric cars, vans, buses, motorcycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters).
2. A breakdown of the above incidents by year.
3. Where recorded, the average and longest time taken to: * Extinguish the fire; and * Declare the vehicle safe (including battery stabilisation or monitoring time).
4. The estimated volume of water used per incident (minimum, maximum, and average where available).
5. The number of incidents requiring: * Specialist equipment (e.g. thermal imaging cameras, immersion tanks, fire blankets); * Re-attendance due to battery re-ignition.
6. The number of injuries to firefighters or members of the public associated with these incidents.
7. Any internal guidance, policies, or operational procedures currently in place for dealing with electric vehicle fires. If possible, I would prefer the information to be provided in electronic format (such as PDF or spreadsheet).
Response
Please see response in the document section below
Documents
This is London Fire Brigade's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.