New South Wales is on track to have more than 300 reported battery fires this year, with firefighters battling two blazes in Sydney this week alone.

An e-bike with a battery from an outside manufacturer caught fire on Tuesday evening while being charged at a house in Northmead.

Emergency services arrived on scene to find smoke and flames coming from the front door.

The fire was quickly extinguished and one person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

The following morning, another fire broke out when a leaf blower battery caught fire in the boot of a vehicle driving along a street in Willoughby East, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.

The driver was able to pull the car over and remove the battery from his vehicle using a towel.

When firefighters found the battery, it was completely destroyed and smoldering.

According to the latest data from Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), 185 fires were caused by lithium-ion batteries in the first seven months of the year.

This amounts to more than six fires per week and an increase of 13.5 percent compared to 2023, when there were 163 fires in the same period.

It’s a huge jump from the 109 fires from January to the end of July 2022, the first year that lithium-ion battery fires were recorded.

‘The fastest growing fire risk’

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said battery fires were now the primary focus.

The department calls battery fires “the fastest growing fire hazard” in the state. People are four times more likely to be injured in a fire caused by a lithium-ion battery than in a fire from another source.

Commissioner Fewtrell said FRNSW is working with other government agencies to determine the best way to address the increasing number of fires in the state.

“First of all, we focus on spreading as much awareness and safety education as possible in the community, so that people are aware of the potential dangers and know how to use their equipment. Secondly, we make sure that our firefighters know how to deal with these types of incidents,” he said.

According to Adam Best, chief research officer at CSIRO, the increase in fires this year is consistent with the large number of battery-powered devices currently on the market.

“I think most consumers have multiple battery-powered devices in their homes,” said Dr. Best.

“Depending on the type of product they buy and the quality of the product they get it from, not all of those products may meet the safety standards that we require of them.

“I see this increase due to a number of factors, namely the sheer volume of batteries on the market, in different products and the types of products available.”

Biggest increases in small portable devices, e-bikes and e-scooters

Of the 185 fires this year, the largest increase was observed in small portable devices and micro-mobility devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean is calling for an end to the import of poor quality and ‘dangerous’ e-bikes into the country.

“These products give e-bikes a bad name,” he said.

Mr McLean has called on the federal government to stop issuing self-proclaimed warnings about the import of e-bikes.

“When it comes to items that pose a risk, such as lithium-ion batteries, we need to ensure that appropriate standards are in place to ensure people are protected,” he said.

“It’s about closing that gap and making sure that someone with the right skills and experience is checking these products.”

Last week, the New South Wales government announced new safety standards for e-bikes, e-scooters and other battery-powered products.

Sellers of these products who fail to meet these standards could face fines of up to $825,000.

Commissioner Fewtrell said FRNSW supported the measures.

“I’m very pleased that NSW is leading the way in regulating this type of thing in Australia, because we’ve identified the issues within the NSW government,” he said.

“We worked together to raise our concerns and then determine what course of action we could take.”

According to Dr. Best, the rules are of great importance to protect users of battery-operated products.

“These standards are very specific in terms of the types of testing that need to be done on the device to ensure they provide the highest level of safety,” he said.

While the changes would likely result in these products becoming more expensive, Dr Best said it would “help to remove some of the cheaper products that are on the market” and “would help to ensure some level of safety”.

High-quality e-bikes ‘offer an incredibly good opportunity’

According to Mr McLean, the standards could not come soon enough.

“The horse has already run away, there are thousands and thousands of these products on the market,” he said.

“There must be consistent standards and the government must enforce them.”

According to Mr McLean, there are many “reliable”, “reputable” and “safe” e-bikes coming to market in the US and Europe that are “extremely positive for our personal transportation solutions”.

“We don’t want these types of devices to be demonized and alienated, because they actually represent an incredibly good opportunity,” he said.

The rules will come into effect from February next year.