‘I told Gemma to jump and throw the kids… she said ‘I can’t get out”: Grieving father reveals partner’s last harrowing words before she was killed alongside their children in fire sparked by e-bike explosion
A grieving father has revealed his partner’s last heartbreaking words before she died along with their two children in a fire sparked by a e-bike explosion.
Scott Peden, 30, out Cambridgelost his partner Gemma, 31, and their children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four, in a fire caused by an e-bike battery he bought online.
The family’s two dogs also died in the fire, which left Scott in a coma for a month and suffered long-term injuries.
Speak with Good morning Great Britain On Wednesday, Mr Peden heartbreakingly described how the mother-of-two told him she ‘couldn’t get out of their house’ after it went up in flames.
Recalling the tragic event, he told the ITV show: ‘All I could see was this huge red, yellow and orange flame. When I told Gemma to jump and throw the kids, the last words I ever heard from her were, ‘I can’t get out.’
June marks one year since the fatal inferno and Mr Peden says his ‘life has been ruined’ as a result.
Backed by the charity Electrical Safety First, he is now calling on all political parties to commit to introducing e-bike safety laws to prevent further tragedies.
Scott Peden (top right) lost his partner Gemma (top left) and their children Lilly (bottom right) and Oliver (bottom left) in a fire caused by an e-bike battery he bought online
Last year, 11 people lost their lives to fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, with hundreds injured as a result of the fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries (photo: an e-bike explosion caught on camera in London )
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Mr Peden (pictured) heartbreakingly described how the mother-of-two told him she ‘couldn’t get out of their house’ after it went up in flames.
Mr Peden said: “June marks one year since I lost my partner and two children in an e-bike fire at my home last summer, and life hasn’t been the same since. It feels like my life is over and I don’t know how to move on.
‘Before the fire, I had no idea of the dangers of these lithium-ion batteries. I bought my battery online and assumed it would be safe. I never thought it would be so dangerous.
‘The battery exploded under my stairs while my family was sleeping. Flames came up the stairs like a flamethrower. The fire and smoke filled the house within seconds. I told them to jump, but they couldn’t get out. I lost everything from that one night and my heart is broken.
“If my story doesn’t demonstrate the desperate need for regulatory change, I don’t know what will. I urge all political parties to come together to tackle the problem of e-bike fires so that no one has to go through what I did.”
He added: ‘My life is ruined. I don’t enjoy my life anymore. I’m just living.’
Electrical Safety First has called for the introduction of independent third-party certification for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries.
Currently, manufacturers can themselves declare that their e-bikes and batteries are safe.
The recommendations were first set out last year in the charity’s ‘Battery Breakdown’ report, the first report of its kind to assess the growing risk of fires in e-bikes and e-scooters and propose solutions to reduce the risk to lives Reduce.
Similar requirements already apply to other high-risk products, such as fireworks and heavy machinery.
Lesley Rudd, CEO of Electrical Safety First, said: ‘People are dying across the country as a result of these fires, and people like Scott are left to deal with the grief and devastation.
June marks one year since the fatal inferno and Mr Peden says his ‘life has been ruined’ as a result
Stock image of an e-scooter. The number of battery fires in e-bikes will increase by 70 percent by 2023
‘Legislation is desperately needed and time is of the essence. We owe it to those who have lost their lives to ensure we do everything we can to prevent further tragedies.
“All political parties must work together to tackle this issue and we want to work with any future government to tackle it as a priority. They will have the power to save lives and prevent future heartache.”
Last year, eleven people lost their lives to fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, with hundreds injured as a result of the fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries.
Other victims include Sofia Duarte, who died aged 21 in London on New Year’s Day 2023 when a converted e-bike caught fire overnight.
Sofia was unable to escape the building because the fire blocked her escape route.
Alda Simoes, a friend of Mrs Duarte, said: ‘We have run out of time to save our beautiful Sofia and everyone who has died like her. But we will do everything we can to prevent others from experiencing what Sofia’s mother, I, family and friends are experiencing.
‘This issue is a public safety issue that requires action from all political parties to introduce new measures to tackle the increasing problem of battery fires in e-bikes. The number of these fires caused by these batteries continues to rise and we urgently need intervention to protect the population.
‘There has to be change. People are dying, what are we waiting for? Sofia’s death must have a purpose. If nothing changes, her death will be in vain. I urge the next government and all political parties to please help us create change.”
On March 21, firefighters were called to an exploding e-bike on a train platform in Sutton, London, with dramatic footage showing flaming battery cells projected from the battery pack across the platform.
Firefighters in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were called to a house fire on April 6 following a serious blaze that left one person taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The cause turned out to be a charging e-bike. Five others were slightly injured.
In Croydon, four children were among six people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation following an e-bike fire in early April that caused serious damage to their maisonette, destroying the stairs between the first and second floors.
