Scotland records 119 lithium battery fires since 2023, 17 linked to vapes

Fire crews in Scotland have responded to 119 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries since 2023, 17 of which involved vapes, according to figures the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service gave the Scottish Liberal Democrats. North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie used the number to press SNP ministers for a national public information campaign.

The same response records 23 fires connected to mobile phones and 11 to electric scooters. The service said 11 of the 119 incidents involved rescue trucks.

Rennie links his campaign to a 15-day fire at a Fife waste plant

Rennie said the Ladybank Waste Facility fire near Fife took 15 days to extinguish in May and did damage reported at £1m. He believes combusting batteries caused it.

The cause of the Ladybank fire remains undetermined after investigation, and ministers have not accepted that finding.

Rennie said residents near the facility faced weeks of disruption while fire crews worked the incident, and argued that a vape or a laptop charger can endanger a whole house. He called on SNP ministers to fund a national campaign on storing and disposing of lithium-ion batteries.

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said people should buy batteries from reputable retailers, learn to store and charge them correctly and use appropriate recycling routes. He said the fire service works with local authorities on prevention activity, including campaigns on the safe handling and recycling of batteries, vapes and rechargeable electrical items.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said fires involving rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can cause extensive damage and pose a risk to life. He advised buying from reputable retailers, following manufacturer instructions, keeping escape routes clear and never putting batteries in household waste bins.

Battery fires outnumber vape-specific incidents in the Scottish figures

Vapes account for a minority of the incidents the service counted. Phones were identified in more cases than vapes, and most of the 119 incidents were not attributed to any single product type in the figures released.

Data period: incidents since 2023, as supplied to the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The service did not give a Scottish total for vape-caused fires beyond these figures.

The Glasgow Central fire put an unregistered vape shop at the centre of the case

A fire that damaged Glasgow Central station and destroyed a former historic hotel started in an unregistered vape shop, according to the account given to the Scottish Daily Express, and closed the station for weeks.

That incident sits outside the 119 figure as described and illustrates why vape retail premises feature in the battery-fire debate alongside household disposal.

Vape sellers face disposal messaging as well as product rules

Retailers and distributors selling into Scotland have no new legal duty from these figures, but the disposal route for spent batteries is now part of the public argument over vape products. Shops that take back devices or advise customers on binning them sit inside the same prevention effort the fire service describes with local authorities. For suppliers, clearer take-back and storage guidance on packaging is compliance work rather than a marketing choice.

No campaign has been announced and the Ladybank cause stays open

The Scottish Government has not committed to the national public information campaign Rennie requested. The service count covers 2023 onwards, and the Ladybank investigation has closed without a determined cause, so any link between that fire and batteries remains Rennie’s assessment rather than an official finding.