E-bike fires a 'ticking time-bomb', charity warns after Cambridge blaze
kills woman and two children

ANGLIA
BIKES
CAMBRIDGE

Tuesday 4 July 2023 at 6:19

Emergency services face a "ticking time-bomb" of potentially devastating
fires from e-powered vehicle batteries, a charity has warned.

The urgent call for change comes after an e-bike was found to be the likely
cause of a Cambridge maisonette fire which killed a woman and two children
on Friday.

Gemma Germeney, 31, eight-year-old Lilly Peden and four-year-old Oliver
Peden died after the blaze in Sackville Close.

A man, believed to be the children's father, escaped the blaze but is in a
critical condition in hospital being treated for burns to his arm.

It is understood the family's two dogs were also killed in the fire.

On Tuesday, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said it was
"only a matter of time" before a bigger fire took place in a larger
building as a result of the electric batteries.

Nathan Davies, from the healthy and safety campaigning society, said:
“Fires from unregulated e-powered vehicle batteries are becoming
commonplace and we are very concerned that we are sitting on a ticking
time-bomb of cases.

"It is only a matter of time until we see a battery failure cause a
devastating large-scale fire in a block of flats, hotel or public space.

“Unfortunately, e-bike batteries are designed to be charged indoors, and
mostly overnight. Critically, this is where the risk to life from a fire is
the greatest."

Mr Davies said that certified lithium-ion batteries could be manufactured
and used instead, but that future deaths would be caused if unregulated
units continue to supplied by international sellers.

The charity urged people to only buy electric battery based products from
reputable sellers that comply with legislation.

<https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-07-04/warning-of-ticking-time-bomb-e-bike-fires-after-deadly-blaze>

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