An e-scooter's lithium-ion battery started the Stone Square fire that killed four. Merseyside has had 150 such fires since 2023, 67 of them in people's homes.
The house fire in Bootle that killed a mother and three children last week was started by an electric scooter battery. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the cause on Monday 28 September (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service).
Its investigators and Merseyside Police found that an electrical event sent a lithium-ion battery into thermal runaway. On Thursday the service named the item as the battery for an electric scooter (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, 1 October).
Stone Square is in Bootle, about 13 miles south of Southport. We reported the fire on the day.
What the investigation found
The service’s account of the night, published with the cause:
- Fire Control took the 999 call in the early hours of Tuesday 22 September.
- Crews reached Stone Square at 3.45am and found a semi-detached house well alight.
- Six fire engines were there at the height of the fire.
- Firefighters in breathing apparatus found a woman and three children in an upstairs bedroom. North West Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team confirmed all four had died.
Kevin Johnson, the service’s Head of Prevention, said crews and ambulance staff “made every effort to provide a different outcome”. He said this was not possible “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,” he said.
150 fires across Merseyside since 2023
The service published its own figures for lithium-ion battery fires across Merseyside alongside the cause. They run from April 2023 to August 2026.
- 150 fires were linked to items containing lithium-ion batteries.
- 67 of them, 45%, were in someone’s home.
- 30 of those home fires, again 45%, started between 9pm and 8am.
The service also says there have been five deaths in Merseyside related to lithium-ion batteries since April 2023. That is over a quarter of all fire deaths in the county over the same period. The release does not say whether the four deaths at Stone Square are included in that count. The fire count stops at August, a month before the Bootle fire.
What crews found on the doorsteps
Firefighters, prevention staff and partners from Merseyside Police, Sefton Council and One Vision Housing went back to the area last week. The service published the results of that reassurance campaign on Thursday:
| What was done | Number |
|---|---|
| Home fire safety checks completed | 124 |
| Homes found to be at elevated risk, referred for a Safe and Well visit | 10 |
| Smoke alarms fitted | 65 |
| Further homes visited, where residents declined a check or were leafleted | 117 |
That is 65 alarms fitted across 124 checked homes. The service does not say how many of those homes had no working alarm before the visit.
What it means for you
The service’s advice applies to anything with a lithium-ion battery: e-bikes, e-scooters, phones, laptops and power tools.
Stop using a battery straight away if you notice any of the five Ss:
- Swell: the battery is bulging or out of shape.
- Sound: it makes hissing or cracking noises.
- Smell: there is a strong or unusual smell.
- Stopping: it will not charge, will not fully charge, or takes too long.
- Smoke: if it is smoking, a fire is about to start. Get out, stay out and call 999.
When you charge:
- Use only the battery and charger supplied with the e-bike or scooter, or ones the manufacturer has approved.
- Do not charge overnight or while people are asleep. Charge during the day, and outside the home where you can.
- Let the battery cool before charging, and unplug the charger once it is done.
- Never leave an e-bike or scooter where it blocks your way out.
- Do not convert a bike into an e-bike yourself. Ask a bike shop.
At home:
- Have at least one working smoke alarm on every level, and test them weekly.
- Close internal doors at night.
- If fire blocks your escape, close the door, block the gap at the bottom with towels or bedding, call 999 and signal from a window if you can.
If you do not have working smoke alarms, the service’s Fire Service Direct line is 0800 731 5958. Its full advice on e-bikes and scooters is on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service website.
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