An electric bin lorry fire in London’s West End forced road closures on Monday, with Oxford Street and Duke Street among the affected areas. The £580,000 electric lorry, part of a green initiative launched by Mayor Sadiq Khan, burst into flames in the morning, triggering an emergency response from the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
The lithium battery-powered lorry, introduced to reduce carbon emissions in the city, showed signs of smoke and debris surrounding it as firefighting teams arrived. Photographs captured the stationary lorry engulfed in smoke, while firefighters attempted to control the blaze.
The LFB deployed three teams from Paddington and a specialist Fire Rescue Unit (FRU) to handle the risks associated with lithium batteries, including potential reignition and toxic fumes. Firefighters used disc cutters and saws to access flames deep within the vehicle’s structure. All truck occupants escaped without injury.
Westminster City Council is investigating the cause of the fire, focusing on potential electrical faults. The council introduced 45 battery-powered bin lorries as part of a Government-backed green initiative, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 2,000 tonnes annually. The fleet, manufactured by UK-based Dennis Eagle, operates out of a purpose-built depot in Bermondsey.
Sadiq Khan praised the electric fleet’s eco-friendly impact earlier this year, noting that London’s local authorities are among the first in the UK to implement zero-emission vehicles for waste collection.
This incident highlights a broader issue with lithium-ion battery fires, which have increased across the UK. E-bike fires alone surged by 70% from 2022 to 2023, with UK fire services attending 46% more lithium battery fires last year than in 2022, as revealed by data from insurer QBE. Nearly one-third of these incidents involved e-bikes, followed by electric scooters and cars, raising calls for stricter safety regulations around lithium-ion batteries.
The Mayor of London has been contacted for further comments on the incident.
