Dad dies in fire after battery pack charging e-bike sets house alight

A dad tragically lost his life in a house fire caused by a lithium battery pack charging an e-bike, it is believed.

The home in Woodyard Close, Kentish Town,nNorth London, went up in flames ‘like a rocket hit the house and blew up’ on July 6.

Firefighters rushed to the scene, after 13 worried calls were made before 7am, and they found a man on the ground floor who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Five people had left the building before rescue teams arrived.

‘Most of the ground and first floors of a mid-terraced house converted into flats were alight,’ the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said at the time.

The chairman of the local Tenants and Residents Association told MyLondon: ‘Everyone in the community is totally devastated. That house is totally gone.

‘It’s such a shock, especially for the family’s children. I think they actually saw the fire so that’s something that will be in their minds for the rest of their lives, seeing their house go up.’

Several surrounding houses were also damaged by the fire. The Residents Association has given each household £500 to deal with the damage, Billy said.

It took around 70 firefighters, deployed from several surrounding stations, two and a half hours to bring the blaze under control.

An LBF statement said: ‘Our fire investigators believe the most probable cause of the fire is due to a lithium battery pack failure, that was charging an e-bike.’

The family who lost their home is understood to be staying with relatives while they look for somewhere else to live.

A fundraiser has been set up by the Tenants and Residents Association’s committee to help the family where they can.

A target has been set of £2,000 with £670 raised so far.

There have been a number of cases of e-bike batteries or chargers catching fire in recent months. LFB has previously issued safety warnings due to the number of fires, which have seen entire homes destroyed and, tragically, led to the death of a mother and two children.

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