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Examining fire risks, electrical hazards, and health concerns linked to 5G masts, lithium-ion systems, and faulty smart meters.

Updated Version – May 2026

Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

Concerns around lithium-ion battery safety have grown significantly as their use expands across transport, housing, and digital infrastructure. These batteries are now widely used in e-bikes, e-scooters, domestic appliances, and backup power systems supporting modern communications networks.

11 May 2026 – The Guardian report highlights the growing scale of lithium-ion battery fires in the UK. Fire services attended approximately one lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, on average.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/11/uk-firefighters-lithium-ion-battery-fires-ebikes?CMP=fb_gu#Echobox=1778481435

These incidents often occur during charging in domestic environments, where overheating can lead to “thermal runaway” and rapid fire escalation. The increasing frequency of such events raises broader questions about safety standards, product regulation, and the pace of deployment of lithium-based technologies across multiple sectors.

At the same time, lithium-ion battery systems are also being incorporated into wider infrastructure, including backup power for mobile communications networks and other critical systems, highlighting the expanding dependence on this technology across both domestic and industrial settings.

Telecom infrastructure manufacturers describe modern mobile base stations as using battery-backed power systems to maintain continuous operation during grid interruptions, with lithium-ion technologies increasingly used in newer installations.

Source: https://www.sunwodaenergy.com/solutions/telecom-battery-backup-system.html

Lithium-Ion Battery Fires and Growing Safety Concerns

During a House of Lords debate on the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill (6 September 2024), peers highlighted the escalating risks associated with lithium-ion battery technologies and their rapid expansion across transport, domestic, and energy systems.

One of the most striking contributions came from Viscount Camrose during the debate, who drew attention to evidence from the London Fire Brigade:

“143 e-bike fires—a fire every two days—in London, resulting in three deaths and 60 injuries… It is a very powerful statistic, and we should really take note of it.”

This stark warning, delivered in the House of Lords, reflects growing concern that lithium-ion battery incidents are not isolated events, but part of an emerging pattern of fires, injuries, and fatalities associated with widespread battery adoption.

The debate also highlighted the rapid expansion of the global lithium-ion battery market, alongside the need to ensure that safety regulation keeps pace with deployment across multiple sectors, including electric transport, energy storage, and emerging infrastructure systems.

Against this backdrop, this report examines the implications of lithium-ion battery fires and failures, and the wider safety considerations arising from their integration into modern technological and energy networks.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2024-09-06/debates/738EAE4C-F67B-4AF5-AA7A-94759672C9D0/details

🔗 National Fire Chiefs Council – Fire Risks in Energy Technologies (including lithium‑ion batteries)

This position statement discusses the growing fire safety concerns posed by lithium‑ion batteries across a range of applications from e‑bikes and e‑scooters to grid‑scale battery energy storage systems and sets out NFCC’s recommendations to address thermal‑runaway risks, regulatory gaps, safe disposal, and public awareness. https://nfcc.org.uk/our-services/position-statements/fire-risks-in-energy-technologies/

The British Safety Council reported that UK fire services attended 921 lithium-ion battery fires in 2023 a 46% increase on the previous year. Around one-third of these incidents involved e-bikes, with further cases linked to e-scooters and electric cars. Lithium-ion fires are particularly dangerous because they can erupt suddenly through “thermal runaway,” producing extreme heat and toxic smoke that is difficult to extinguish (British Safety Council, 2024).

QBE has called for greater public education on preventing and managing these incidents, warning that lithium-ion fires “burn differently from normal fires” and can cause “explosive fire incidents” with the potential for serious injury or death.

Telecoms Infrastructure (Masts and Supporting Systems)

Reports of mobile phone mast fires, including at 5G installations, have been recorded in the UK and internationally. Reported investigations have cited a range of potential causes, including electrical faults, equipment overheating, and in some cases suspected arson, with outcomes depending on individual incident circumstances.

These incidents highlight the complexity of telecoms infrastructure, which relies on interconnected electrical systems and backup power arrangements to maintain network resilience. As with all electrical infrastructure, such systems require robust safety standards and effective investigation of failures to determine causation and prevent recurrence. (Radiation Research Trust, 2024)

As 5G networks expand and incorporate increasingly sophisticated equipment and power systems, it is essential that investigation processes remain robust and that causation is clearly established on a case-by-case basis to support effective risk management and infrastructure resilience.

Smart meters

Smart meters form part of the UK’s domestic energy infrastructure and are subject to separate regulatory oversight as electrical consumer devices.

The recall of EDMI Atlas Mk7CD smart meters due to fire and electric shock risks further underscores the need for heightened awareness and safety measures. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued a recall on 24 March 2025, citing that certain units manufactured between October 2022 and October 2024 may experience neutral terminal weld failure, leading to potential fire hazards and electric shock. gov.je+3GOV.UK+3Pro Certs Software Ltd+3

This case demonstrates that widely deployed domestic electrical systems can be affected by manufacturing or component-level faults, reinforcing the importance of effective monitoring, rapid reporting mechanisms, and timely corrective action where potential safety risks are identified.

Ensuring the integrity of domestic metering infrastructure is an important component of broader electrical safety governance, particularly where devices are installed at scale across residential properties.

Policy implications

The evidence presented in this report highlights a range of safety considerations across multiple rapidly expanding technologies, including lithium-ion battery systems, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), telecommunications infrastructure, and smart metering equipment.

Parliamentary debate has already acknowledged significant fire risks associated with lithium-ion battery technologies, with Viscount Camrose citing London Fire Brigade data showing frequent e-bike fires, injuries, and fatalities. These concerns are reinforced by wider fire service data and product safety reports indicating increasing incident rates and thermal runaway risks across multiple applications.

At the same time, the deployment of energy storage systems and supporting electrical infrastructure is expanding rapidly, often in closer proximity to residential areas and critical public environments. This raises important questions about whether current regulatory frameworks adequately address cumulative risk, system complexity, and cross-sector oversight.

In parallel, product safety issues such as the recall of smart metering equipment further highlight the importance of robust oversight in domestic and distributed electrical systems.

The evidence suggests a need to ensure that safety regulation keeps pace with technological deployment, particularly where multiple systems intersect within shared public environments.

📌 Call to action

In light of the issues identified in this report, the following actions are recommended for consideration by householders, local authorities, and regulatory bodies:

🏠 For householders

  • ♦ Ensure home insurance policies include cover for fire and electrical risks associated with modern electrical and smart systems.
  • ♦ Report faulty, overheating, or malfunctioning electrical equipment to the relevant safety authorities, including the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
  • ♦ Seek independent guidance where concerns arise regarding installed smart metering or electrical infrastructure.

🏛️ For local authorities and regulators

  • ♦ Review planning and safety assessment procedures for energy storage systems and associated infrastructure.
  • ♦ Ensure fire and rescue services are fully consulted in the assessment of developments involving battery storage and complex electrical systems.
  • ♦ Strengthen coordination between planning, fire safety, and product safety regulators where infrastructure systems overlap.

🔍 For government and policy bodies

  • ♦ Support independent review of lithium-ion battery safety standards across transport, domestic, and grid-scale applications.
  • ♦ Ensure that regulatory frameworks reflect the full lifecycle of battery systems, including installation, operation, and disposal.
  • ♦ Consider cumulative infrastructure risk where multiple electrical and digital systems are deployed in close proximity to the public.

The Trust is calling on fire services, regulators, and government departments to examine the causes of fires involving telecommunications infrastructure and associated electrical systems.

Safety Guidance and Risk Mitigation Measures

We urge householders, especially those with smart meters to:

♦ Check their insurance policies to ensure adequate cover for fire and electrical damage associated with domestic electrical and smart systems.

♦ Do not support the installation of smart meters, and where concerns exist, request assessment and consider available alternatives, including analogue options. For detailed guidance, see the EM Radiation Research Trust Smart Meter Information Action Pack.

♦ Stay informed about potential safety risks associated with 5G masts, lithium-ion systems, and smart meters. Campaigners can use the Monster Mast Action Pack for practical tools to protect their communities.

By taking these precautions, homeowners can help protect themselves and their communities from potential hazards.

📌 Recommendations

  • ♦ Enhanced Safety Standards: Implement stricter safety regulations for lithium-ion batteries, particularly those used in e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles.The Times
  • ♦ Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch nationwide campaigns to educate the public on the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and the importance of proper disposal.
  • ♦ Independent Investigations: Conduct independent investigations into the causes of phone mast fires.
  • ♦ Product Safety Oversight: Strengthen oversight and enforcement of product safety standards for smart meters and other electrical appliances to prevent incidents of electric shock and fire.

Sources:

📥 Download the EM Radiation Research Trust briefing: Phone Mast & Smart Meter Fires – A Global Public Safety Crisis, examining fire incidents linked to telecoms infrastructure and smart metering systems. https://radiationresearch.org/5g-phone-mast-fire-london-8th-november-2024/