Date of Request
10/02/2026
Request
Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request information held by your Fire and Rescue Service relating to incidents of fire attended by your service at waste disposal or recycling facilities, where the reported or suspected ignition source was the improper disposal of vaping devices (e.g. vapes or e-cigarettes containing lithium-ion batteries).
Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2021 to the most recent date available:
1. The total number of confirmed or suspected vape-related fire incidents attended by your service at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and any other waste disposal, recycling, or waste transfer facilities
2. A year-by-year breakdown of the above.
For clarity:
* “Vape” includes disposable and rechargeable e-cigarette devices, whether sold legally or otherwise, that contain lithium-ion batteries.
* “Vape-related fire incidents” include confirmed fires and incidents where a fire or ignition was suspected to have been caused by a vape or its battery during or following disposal.
Please provide the information in an electronic format where possible (for example, Excel, CSV, or PDF).
Yours faithfully,
Response
Good Morning
We thank you for your request for information, which has been received by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (the Service) and considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
The Service can confirm that the information that you have requested is partially held. At present, there is no dedicated option relating to vapes/e-cigarettes as an ignition source. Instead, a free-text search for relevant terms has been undertaken on fire reports at waste disposal / recycling facility sites since 01/01/2021.
The Service has not recorded any fire incidents at waste/recycling sites where the ignition source related to vapes/e-cigarettes.
If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact Information Governance on tel: 0345 122 4454 or by e-mail at informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk. In any such communication please include the reference number assigned (see Subject).
Should you have any queries regarding the management of your request and wish to make either a complaint or request a review of the information disclosed to you, please do so by using Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s complaints system: Comments and Complaints. This must be done within 40 working days of our response to your request. After this date and in line with ICO guidance the Service is not obliged to provide an internal review of your request.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (alternatively 01625 545745) or E-mail: casework@ico.org.uk.
Further information on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service may be viewed at the Service’s website: www.hwfire.org.uk
Thank you for your request for information.
Kind regards,
Information Governance Team