Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) has confirmed that a lithium-ion battery caused a house fire in Bootle that killed a mother and her three children, and has issued a fresh safety warning to the public.
Elisha Brabin, 36, died alongside her children Leo Brabin, 16, Ellis Brabin, eight, and Prudence Brabin, seven, in the blaze, which broke out at around 3.45am on Tuesday, September 20. Emergency services were called to Stone Square in the Sefton town following reports that a semi-detached house was “well alight”.
The fire service later confirmed that four people were found in a bedroom upstairs and were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth person was taken to hospital suffering from burns.
Cause of the fire
Following an investigation by the MFRS incident investigation team and Merseyside Police, the cause of the fire was determined to be an “electrical event”, causing a lithium-ion battery to go into thermal runaway – a chain reaction causing a rapid spike in temperature, resulting in fire. This is a rechargeable power source that uses lithium ions to store and release electrical energy, and is used in a wide range of everyday items.
There were 150 fires linked to items containing lithium-ion batteries in Merseyside between April 2023 and August 2026. Of these, 45% (67) occurred in someone’s home. Of the fires that occurred in someone’s home, 45% (30) occurred between 9pm and 8am. Since April 2023 there have been five fatalities in Merseyside related to lithium-ion batteries – more than a quarter of all fatalities in fires during that period.
Safety advice issued
MFRS head of prevention, Kev Johnson, warned that people should only use batteries and chargers supplied with the vehicle or approved by the manufacturer. He said: “This tragedy highlights the very real risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, which we confirmed as the source of the fire.
“We’re urging people to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, only using batteries and chargers which have been supplied with the vehicle or approved by the manufacturer, as anything else can pose a huge fire risk.
“It’s also important to know and recognise the signs that your lithium-ion battery may be failing – if it is swelling, making unusual sounds, has a strong smell, is failing to charge, or is smoking, please stop using immediately.”
Fire crews will go out into the local community this week to provide safety advice and reassurance to residents.
Home fire safety tips
Home fire safety advice for e-bikes, e-scooters and lithium-ion batteries includes: always use manufacturer-recommended batteries and chargers; incompatible chargers and batteries increase the risk of fire – always use the correct charger for the correct battery; never block your escape route with anything, including e-bikes and e-scooters; never charge e-bikes, e-scooters or lithium-ion batteries overnight, instead do this during the day and outside of the home when possible; speak to your local bike shop for expert advice and guidance, instead of converting a bike into an e-bike yourself; always check your battery and charger meets UK safety standards; look after your battery – inspect for damage, if damaged stop using the battery and put it outside; let the battery cool before charging and always unplug your charger once it’s finished charging; follow manufacturers’ instructions when charging and do not leave it unattended or charging while people are sleeping; ensure you have one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and check these are working every week; keep internal doors closed at night; and in the event of a fire in your home, get out, stay out and call 999.
Signs a lithium-ion battery may be failing include swelling or bulging out of shape, hissing or cracking sounds, a strong or unusual smell, stopping charging or not fully charging, and smoke or gas – if your battery, bike or scooter is smoking, this means a fire is about to start. If any of these signs are noticed, stop using the e-bike, e-scooter or battery straight away.
For fire safety advice, or if you do not have working smoke alarms in your property, call Fire Service Direct on 0800 731 5958. For more information or home fire safety advice, visit Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s social media accounts on Facebook (@MerseyFire), X (@MerseyFire), Instagram (@Mersey_Fire) and YouTube (@MerseyFire) or merseyfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/home-fire-safety/electric-bikes-and-scooters/.
