EV charging in car parks, e-scooters in corridors, battery storage in plant rooms — lithium-ion fires are unlike anything traditional firefighting can handle.. A New Category of Fire Risk Lithium ion battery fires behave fundamentally differently from conventional fires. They involve thermal runaway — a self sustaining exothermic reaction that cannot be extinguished with water alone, can reignite hours or days after apparent extinguishment, and produces toxic gases including hydrogen fluoride. The Growth Trajectory 2020 : 186 lithium ion battery fires attended by UK fire services 2023 : 487 incidents — a 162% increase in three years 2025 : 734 incidents — and growing exponentially 2030 projection : 2,000+ incidents annually without intervention "A lithium ion battery fire in an enclosed car park can reach temperatures of 1,100°C within minutes. The thermal runaway can propagate to adjacent vehicles, creating a cascading fire that overwhelms structural fire protection designed for hydrocarbon fuel fires." — BRE Research EV Charging in Car Parks The Design Challenge Car parks were historically designed for vehicles containing 50 litres of liquid fuel. An EV contains a battery with energy equivalent to 30 50 litres of petrol — but the fire behaviour is entirely different: Duration : An EV fire can burn for 2 3 hours vs. 20 30 minutes for a conventional vehicle Temperature : Peak temperatures 200 400°C higher than conventional vehicle fires Water requirement : 10,000 40,000 litres to suppress a single EV fire vs. 2,000 litres for a conventional vehicle Toxic gases : Hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, and other toxic gases produced Re ignition : Can reignite up to 72 hours after apparent extinguishment Current Guidance The current UK guidance for EV charging in car parks includes: ADB 2025 — limited guidance, refers to BS 7346 for smoke ventilation BS 7346 7 — smoke ventilation for car parks, updated 2024 to consider EVs NFPA 855 — US standard, increasingly referenced in UK for battery storage IStructE guidance — structural considerations for EV fires in car parks Recommended Measures Based on our fire engineering assessments, we recommend: Enhanced sprinkler systems — higher density heads with fast response elements over EV charging bays Smoke ventilation — minimum 10 air changes per hour in areas with EV charging Structural fire protection — enhanced protection to structural elements above EV charging areas Separation distances — minimum 2m between EV charging bays and 6m from escape routes Fire service information — clear signage indicating EV charging locations and isolation procedures E Scooters and E Bikes in Residential Buildings The Indoor Charging Problem E scooters and e bikes present a severe fire risk when charged indoors: Batteries are often low quality with minimal safety features Charging in corridors blocks escape routes Charging in flats creates a severe risk to sleeping occupants Fires develop extremely rapidly — 30 seconds from ignition to untenable conditions What Building Managers Should Do Prohibit indoor charging of e scooters and e bikes in all common areas Provide external charging facilities with fire detection and suppression Install signage warning of the fire risks of indoor charging Update fire risk assessments to address lithium ion battery risks Communicate with residents about safe charging practices Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) The Growing Trend Battery storage systems are increasingly common in commercial buildings for: Peak load management and energy cost reduction Renewable energy storage (solar, wind) Uninterruptible power supplies for critical systems Fire Safety Considerations Separation — BESS should be in dedicated, fire rated enclosures Ventilation — gas detection with mechanical extract ventilation Suppression — water mist or gas suppression systems Monitoring — continuous thermal monitoring of all battery cells Access — fire service access for external firefighting Magnus Opifex Lithium Ion Fire Services EV charging fire strategy for new and existing car parks Building fire risk assessment updates incorporating lithium ion risks Policy development for e scooter/e bike management in residential buildings BESS fire safety design and review CFD modelling of EV fire scenarios in enclosed car parks The lithium ion fire risk is growing exponentially. Contact us for a specialist assessment.