The warning came: In many homes, there is a new risk of total destruction

Fires started by small electronics batteries and chargers have become very common. According to rescue service statistics, more fires start from battery-powered devices than from electric stoves. At the same time, the number of devices in homes is increasing.

The proliferation of battery-powered devices can be seen in fire statistics. According to the rescue service’s Pronto database, the number of fires involving battery devices has more than doubled since 2020. In 2024, 108 fires were caused by the battery or charger of small electronics, which already exceeds the number of electric stove fires, for example.

Near Tapiola according to a survey, every fourth Finn has more than ten battery-powered devices at home. Some of the devices have accumulated so much that just under a tenth of the respondents could not estimate their exact number. Among respondents who could estimate the number, the average was about nine devices.

Lähi-Tapiola home insurance development manager Timo Ekholm estimates that the number increased even more after Christmas, when many people received, for example, telephones or battery-powered tools as gifts.

A defective battery is a safety risk

Although the majority of devices are safe, the increase in the number of devices increases the probability of device failures. Based on Lähi-Tapiola’s damage data, battery fires can be surprising and violent, and an exploding battery can cause significant damage to its surroundings.

“If the fire spreads in the apartment without anyone there to do the first extinguishing or call for help, the consequences can be really harsh,” Ekholm says in the announcement.

He emphasizes that the most essential thing in preventing fire damage is to only charge devices under supervision.

Carefully in the waste

From August 2025, the EU battery regulation has obliged consumers to sort batteries separately from other waste. However, according to the survey, 13 percent of Finns keep defective or unused devices at home. Three percent say they dispose of them as mixed or metal waste.

According to Ekholm, an improperly disposed battery is a risk for waste management.

“The battery must never be thrown into mixed or metal waste, because the battery can, for example, get bumped or get crushed in the garbage truck and catch fire.”

1,049 people answered the survey carried out by the research company Verian in September 2025. The margin of error of the results is about 3.1 percentage points.