100 Firefighters Battle Sydney E-Bike Warehouse Blaze: Why Lithium Battery Fires Are Australia's Fastest Growing Fire Risk

Last Thursday morning, just after midnight, a fire ripped through an e-bike warehouse on Collins Street in Alexandria, in Sydney's inner south. Inside were dozens of e-bikes and lithium-ion battery components. The result was a blaze so intense that Fire and Rescue NSW dispatched 25 fire trucks and more than 100 firefighters to bring it under control.

Heavy smoke and the elevated position of the business made it difficult for crews to reach the seat of the fire. At one stage, FRNSW issued a community warning about poor air quality as thick smoke drifted eastward across the surrounding suburbs. It took firefighters approximately two hours to extinguish the blaze, though they successfully prevented it from spreading to adjacent businesses.

This incident wasn't an isolated event. It was the latest in a pattern that fire services across Australia are warning is accelerating at an alarming rate.

The Numbers Tell a Stark Story

Lithium-ion battery fires have been climbing steeply year on year across every Australian state.

In New South Wales, Fire and Rescue NSW recorded 323 lithium-ion battery fires in 2024, up from 272 in 2023 and 165 in 2022. That represents a 95 per cent increase over just two years, and translates to nearly six battery fires per week across the state alone.

Queensland recorded 240 lithium-ion battery incidents in 2025, up from 202 the year before and 108 in 2022. E-mobility devices — e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar — were the leading cause, accounting for around 35 per cent of all battery fires in that state. Most tragically, Queensland recorded at least six deaths from lithium-ion battery fires in 2025 alone.

Western Australia reported a lithium-ion battery fire almost every second day in 2024, making it the worst year on record. The WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection described lithium-ion batteries as "the fastest growing home fire risk" in the state.

And in South Australia, the Metropolitan Fire Service saw its callouts to lithium-ion battery fires increase nearly tenfold over five years, with the first half of 2025 already exceeding half of the previous year's total.

Why Lithium Battery Fires Are So Dangerous

What makes lithium-ion battery fires fundamentally different from other fires is a process called thermal runaway. When a lithium-ion battery cell fails — due to damage, overcharging, a manufacturing defect, or exposure to excessive heat — it can enter a self-sustaining chain reaction where the battery generates heat faster than it can dissipate it.

Temperatures can exceed 1,000 degrees Celsius. Toxic and flammable gases — including hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide — are released. The fire can spread from cell to cell within the battery pack, making it extremely difficult to extinguish. And critically, the fire can reignite hours or even days after it appears to have been put out.

Standard fire suppression equipment — the sprinkler system in your building, the dry powder extinguisher on your garage wall — is not designed for this type of fire. This is why the Alexandria warehouse fire required 100 firefighters and two hours to bring under control, even with professional equipment and training.

What Regulators Are Doing

The regulatory response is gaining momentum. In NSW, the government adopted the European safety standard EN15194 for e-bikes in March 2026, introducing stricter battery, electrical, and fire safety requirements. E-bikes and e-scooters sold in NSW have been required to meet prescribed safety standards since February 2025, when they were classified as "declared electrical articles" under the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017.

Australia's largest insurer, IAG (whose brands include NRMA Insurance, CGU, and RACQ Insurance), is leading a major research project with QUT, EV FireSafe, Standards Australia, and iMOVE to understand and reduce battery-related risks. Their early findings show that fire risk rises significantly when batteries are damaged, charged incorrectly, or subjected to repeated impacts. The full research findings are expected to be published in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Strata Community Association Queensland has renewed its call for urgent action, noting that in strata environments, one unsafe charging decision can place dozens or hundreds of residents at risk.

But regulations alone cannot prevent every incident. Personal preparedness matters.

How to Protect Your Home or Property

Whether you own an e-bike, charge an EV in your garage, or manage a building where residents do, there are practical steps you can take right now.

For E-Bike and E-Scooter Owners

Charge your device outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, ideally on a non-flammable surface like tiles or concrete. Never charge on carpet, beds, or soft furnishings. Never leave devices charging overnight or unattended. Only use the charger supplied by the manufacturer — aftermarket or mismatched chargers are a leading cause of battery fires. Never modify your battery or attempt DIY repairs. Install a smoke alarm in the area where you charge.

And have a fire blanket rated for lithium-ion fires stored nearby. Our e-bike fire blankets start from $165 and are specifically designed for this purpose — rated to withstand temperatures up to 1,700°C.

For Strata Managers and Building Owners

If your building has EV charging infrastructure or residents who store e-bikes and e-scooters, consider installing EV fire blankets near car park entry points and charging areas. Provide lithium-ion specific fire extinguishers at charging bays. Update your building's block plans to show charging locations for emergency responders. And educate residents about safe charging practices — a simple one-page guide distributed to all residents can make a significant difference.

For Everyone

Never dispose of lithium-ion batteries in your regular rubbish or recycling bins — they can cause fires in garbage trucks and waste facilities. Damaged batteries (swollen, dented, cracked, or leaking) should be kept outside in a well-ventilated area, at least three metres from structures and combustible materials. Contact your local community recycling centre for proper disposal.

The Bottom Line

The Alexandria warehouse fire is a vivid reminder that lithium-ion battery fires are not a future risk — they are a present reality. The statistics are accelerating, the fires are intense and difficult to control, and standard fire equipment is not designed for them.

Being prepared doesn't require a major investment. It starts with understanding the risk, following safe charging practices, and having the right equipment on hand for those critical first moments.

Browse our range of fire blankets and lithium-ion fire extinguishers, or contact us for free expert advice on the right equipment for your situation.