By Adam Morris
Firefighters across Scotland attended dozens of fires involving vapes in the years leading up to a catastrophic fire in Glasgow city centre.
The blaze which devastated historic buildings in and around Union Street started in a vape shop, although the fire service is still probing the precise cause.
Now research by 1919 has revealed Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews were called to 41 fires involving vapes and related equipment between 2021 and 2025, including five in Glasgow.
And the organisation believes the true figure is likely far higher, with reporting mechanisms only providing a low estimate.
Anti-smoking charities said tougher legislation was needed, and called for firefighters to be given powers to inspect all premises selling e-cigarettes.
Vaping has increased in popularity across the world, and the practice was initially hailed as a preferable alternative to smoking cigarettes.
However, it has brought with it a range of addiction, environmental and social problems, and disposable vapes were banned last year.
After the huge fire in March, fresh concerns emerged about safety, especially around charging and the dangerous lithium-ion batteries within each vape.
“They pose a significant fire risk if mistreated or disposed of incorrectly,” said Kenny Barbour, deputy chief assistant officer and head of prevention at the SFRS.
“If placed in a general household bin or mixed with other recyclable materials, these batteries can be damaged or crushed during handling or the waste removal process.
“This can potentially lead to fires in bins, refuse vehicles, waste management facilities, or scrap yards, putting workers and the wider community at risk. However, our firefighters are trained and equipped to tackle fires of all types.”
“Many people living or running a business near to shops selling vapes are expressing serious concerns about their safety”
Sheila Duffy, ASH Scotland
Although the fire brigade will not confirm the source of the Union Street inferno until the conclusion of its ongoing investigation, a shop specialising in e-cigarettes is the prime suspect.
No-one was hurt in the blaze, but the scene of destruction remains visible, with the landmark Victorian building near Central Station reduced to a shell.
A freedom of information request by 1919 revealed 11 of the vape-related fires in Scotland occurred last year.
Over the five-year period, West Lothian accounts for the most incidents with six fires, followed by Glasgow’s five and four in Falkirk.
After the Glasgow fire, politicians set out a range of proposals, from a crackdown on rogue traders to an outright ban of vape-selling shops.
Health charity ASH Scotland was set up in the 1970s to drive down Scotland’s high rates of smoking.
With the number of smokers having dwindled across Scotland and the western world, the organisation has now turned more of its focus to vaping. It says Scotland’s Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers has not kept pace with expanding vape shops.
“The Glasgow city centre fire has illuminated the risks of damaging lithium-ion batteries in a way that exploding bin lorries and fires in waste processing plants has not,” said chief executive Sheila Duffy.
“It is understandable that many people living or running a business near to shops selling vapes are expressing serious concerns about their safety.
“Vapes are commercial recreational products which are marketed for profit and contain toxic chemicals and high levels of addictive nicotine.”