A big round of applause to the progressive useful idiots who demanded we all go “net zero,” and used the government to bludgeon any opposition into submission—thanks to their (non)brilliance, the “fastest growing fire risk” is a source that can’t be extinguished by normal means.

According to a report from the BBC, a Welsh fire and rescue service is sounding the alarm (once again) on lithium batteries, specifically those found in “substandard” e-bikes and e-scooters, which, in the words of a fire safety organization, are “tearing through homes” across the U.K.

Here are the numbers, from the article: Between April 2020 and March 2025, a time span of roughly five years, there were 136 lithium-ion battery fires in South Wales—100 of those, or around 74%, happened in the last two years. And, the injury and death data:

Of those reported fires over the last five years:

• 30 people were injured with 24 of these occurring in the last two years
• 49 were accidental dwelling fires, with 34 of these occurring in the last two years. One of these incidents led to a fatality linked to a fire involving a fault in a battery charger.
• Of the 136 incidents, 39 involved an e-scooter or an e-bike with 25 of these incidents occurring in the last two years. These led to 13 people being injured, 10 of which occurred in the last two years.
• There were 16 accident dwelling fires in south Wales which involved an e-scooter or an e-bike with 10 of these occurring in the last two years. These incidents led to five people injured with three of these occurring in the last two years.

As you can see, the fallout is increasing exponentially.

And, on top of that, lithium battery fires spew insanely toxic chemicals and poisons into the air, leaving another lasting impact. The advice from professionals? “It is crucial to steer clear of breathing in any” of the fire’s smoke.

What makes these fires especially awful is that you can’t extinguish them by normal methods. Water can actually exacerbate the problem, and traditional fire extinguishers won’t suffice—you have to have a specialized fire extinguisher meant for lithium battery fires:

If an e-bike battery catches fire, classic ABC or carbon dioxide extinguishers are generally not the first choice. Normal water extinguishers are also unsuitable as they can cause further short circuits in a live system. Special fire extinguishers for lithium batteries are the better choice: fire extinguishers filled with silicon, gel or pyrobubbles, for example, offer an efficient way of extinguishing a burning e-bike battery.

And, this is from just yesterday, stateside:

Lithium-ion battery may have started small apartment fire in Salt Lake City

An electric scooter may be to blame for a small apartment fire Monday morning in Salt Lake City. It’s the fourth fire potentially involving lithium-ion batteries on the Wasatch Front in the last four months.

But it’s not just the bikes and scooters—it’s any lithium battery that poses a heightened threat. So much so that even TSA and certain airlines are no longer permitting lithium-ion batteries to be stowed away in luggage. See below, from an item at the New York Post:

TSA just banned popular tech necessity for travel from checked luggage

The TSA just banned a travel essential from checked luggage following a new advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Portable chargers and power banks that use lithium batteries are no longer permitted in checked bags, per the guideline.

And, from Forbes:

Southwest Airlines is the first U.S. airline to ban passengers from charging devices with a power bank inside a carry-on bag due to the risk of a charger’s lithium battery overheating or catching fire—going further than current FAA guidance.

Reality is consistent, and wherever you find chaos and death, there’s no doubt a progressive leftist policy behind it.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.