26 Electric Scooter Fires in Seoul Until July... More Than Double Compared to Last Year

Since 2019, a total of 70 electric scooter fires have occurred, with a sharp increase this year
33 cases in residential facilities account for 47% of the total

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters has recently urged caution in the use of electric kickboards following a series of fire accidents.

According to the Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 26th, there have been a total of 70 electric kickboard-related fires in Seoul since 2019. In particular, 26 cases occurred up to July this year. This surpasses the total number of fires last year and is more than double the 12 cases recorded during the same period last year.

Especially, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters stated that according to recent studies published in academic journals, lithium-ion batteries widely used in electric kickboards have a high fire risk due to the strong reactivity of lithium ions, and there is also concern about the generation of toxic gases caused by thermal runaway of the electrolyte during fires.

By location of fire occurrence, 33 cases occurred in residential facilities, accounting for 47.1% of the total. Casualties also occurred mainly in residential facilities, with 9 people affected (90% of the total).

Therefore, for the safe use of electric kickboards, charging should be done outdoors in open spaces rather than near front doors or emergency exits, and charging should be avoided during sleep or long absences.

Jung Gyo-cheol, Head of the On-Site Response Team at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “Electric kickboard-related fires have been increasing recently,” and added, “Since the risk of fire is high when stored at home, we ask for special caution.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.