Following the heartbreaking tragedy of a father losing his partner and two children in a fire caused by a faulty e-bike battery, he is now calling for stricter regulations on these devices. Scott Peden, who was in a coma for four weeks after the blaze, lost his partner Gemma Germeney, aged 31, and their children Lilly, aged 8, and Oliver, aged 4, in the devastating fire that occurred in their Cambridge home on 30th June. Peden tells BBC Breakfast that he “wants his old life back” as he tries to come to terms with his loss.
Peden is calling for more robust regulations on the sale of second-hand e-bike batteries. He purchased a replacement battery that was thought to be the cause of the fire, a few weeks before the fatal incident. The battery was placed on charge overnight and exploded, causing a catastrophic fire that led to the loss of the three lives. Peden is calling for second-hand batteries to be checked and MOT’d, and for regulations to ensure they are not bought or charged in areas that could endanger lives if they exploded.
Discussing the harrowing events of that night, Peden revealed that he suffered multiple burns and a broken ankle while he tried to fight the fire outside of the house. His girlfriend tried to lead the children to safety, but the flames proved too strong. The coroner has yet to complete the inquest, but the Cambridgeshire Fire Service has already written to request better regulation of online sales of e-bike batteries.
Peden says that he was unaware batteries could explode “like a bomb,” and has now joined the calls for stricter rules governing the sale of second-hand e-bike batteries. “You do not want to be the next person to go through what I’ve been through,” he warns. The inquest is still ongoing, and the matter is continuing to be investigated by the coroner
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More