Fires from battery-powered devices surge 30% in four years, driven by unsafe imports

Fires caused by lithium batteries and chargers in small electronic devices have risen by nearly a third since 2022, according to new claims data from Finnish insurer Lähi-Tapiola—outpacing even traditional fire hazards like electric stoves.

The sharp increase is linked to a flood of cheap, non-compliant devices ordered from Asian online marketplaces, particularly China, where annual parcel shipments to Finland now exceed 50 million. Many of these products, while bearing CE safety markings, fail basic electrical safety standards, tests commissioned by the insurer reveal.

In a controlled laboratory assessment, a leaf blower charger purchased from the Temu platform was deemed “potentially life-threatening” by engineers at SGS Fimko, a Finnish testing agency. The device lacked adequate insulation between primary and secondary circuits, leaving users at risk of electric shock. It also omitted a fuse, meaning it would rely entirely on household circuit breakers in a short-circuit scenario—raising the risk of uncontrolled overheating or fire.

“The first charging cycle is the most critical,” said Antti Määttänen, Lähi-Tapiola’s claims director. “Never leave these devices unattended while charging, especially overnight. And ask yourself: is saving a few euros worth the risk?”

A second device tested—a hoverboard charger—showed no major defects, demonstrating that even low-cost products can meet safety standards. The difference, engineers noted, came down to “penny-pinching” on components like insulation and fuses, with cost savings as little as a few cents per unit.

CE markings, meant to certify compliance with EU safety rules, offered no real assurance. “The CE label is just the manufacturer’s or seller’s declaration—there’s no mandatory pre-market testing,” explained Aki Niskanen of SGS Fimko. Finland’s Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) conducts only sporadic post-market checks, leaving most non-compliant devices undetected until they fail.

While insurers see only the most severe cases—where fires cause significant property damage—experts warn that minor malfunctions in substandard devices often go unreported. A faulty €10 charger may simply be discarded rather than claimed, masking the true scale of the problem.

Lithium battery fires now exceed those from electric stoves in Finland, per 2025 data from Lähi-Tapiola.