This article is about growing concern in Queensland over deadly fires caused by e-scooter and e-bike lithium-ion batteries, with strata communities urging urgent safety rules, better education, and stronger regulation to prevent further loss of life.
Strata Community Association Queensland (SCA Queensland) is renewing its call for urgent action to address the growing risk posed by lithium-ion battery fires linked to e-scooters and e-bikes, particularly in apartment buildings and shared living environments.
Recent reporting has highlighted a deeply concerning spike in fatalities in Queensland, with at least six lives lost in 2025 alone due to fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, compared with none recorded the previous year. Fire investigators have warned the true number may be higher, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.
“These are not abstract statistics. Behind every fire is a family, a building and a community left traumatised,” said Laura Bos, General Manager of Strata Community Association Queensland. “The human cost, including young Queenslanders facing life-changing injuries and families grieving loved ones lost in preventable fires, reinforces the need for swift and coordinated responses.”
SCA Queensland represents strata managers focused on the safety and wellbeing of strata communities across the state. The organisation is increasingly hearing concerns from residents, committees and managers about unsafe charging practices, device modifications, and low-quality or second-hand e-scooters and e-bikes being stored and charged inside apartments and on common property.
“What we are seeing is a tragic and accelerating pattern that should alarm every Queenslander, particularly those living in strata communities,” Ms Bos said. “Lithium-ion battery fires are fast, ferocious and often fatal. In apartment buildings they do not just endanger one household, they can place entire communities at risk.”
Lithium-ion batteries behave very differently to traditional batteries. When they fail, fires can be sudden, intense and extremely difficult to escape from, especially in multi-storey residential buildings with shared corridors and limited exit paths.
“These deaths and life-altering injuries are not inevitable,” Ms Bos said. “Many are preventable with better public education, safer products, the use of manufacturer-approved chargers only, and clearer guidance around where e-scooters and e-bikes should be charged and stored.”
SCA Queensland supports calls from fire authorities and affected families for stronger public education, clearer safety standards and faster regulatory responses. In strata environments, where one unsafe charging decision can place dozens or even hundreds of residents at risk, this issue goes beyond individual choice and becomes a shared safety concern.
SCA Queensland encourages continued scrutiny of this issue and welcomes further discussion about practical solutions that protect residents and prevent further loss of life.
Laura Bos Strata Community Association Queensland (SCA QLD) E: laura.bos@strata.community P: 07 3839 3011
This post appears in Strata News #777.
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This article has been republished with permission from the author and first appeared on the Strata Community Association Queensland (SCA QLD) website.
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