Charging e-scooter battery killed mother and her three children in Bootle house fire, fire service confirms

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026.

The blaze that killed Elisha Brabin, 36, and her children Leo, 16, Ellis, eight, and Prudence, seven, was started by a lithium-ion e-scooter battery left on charge at their home on Stone Square in Bootle, Merseyside, shortly before 3.45am on 22 September. The battery had been detached from the scooter and was charging on its own when it entered thermal runaway — a process in which heat builds faster than it can dissipate, sending temperatures spiralling out of control. Crews responding to the call found the family in an upstairs bedroom; a fifth person was taken to hospital with burns.

Between April 2023 and August 2026, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service recorded 150 lithium-ion battery fires across the region, five of them fatal.

Fire chief Kev Johnson said the 'speed and intensity' of the fire made it impossible for crews to save the family despite every effort.

Members of the public left floral tributes outside the Stone Square home as the fire service called on people to follow manufacturer guidance when charging lithium-ion batteries.