Peterborough firefighters issue potentially life saving warning after fire rips through Orton home

Firefighters have issued a warning that could save lives after a fire ripped through a home in Orton over the weekend.

The house in Collingham was almost completely destroyed in the blaze on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, no-one was in at the time of the inferno, and firefighters were able to rescue the four dogs that were inside.

An investigation into what caused the fire has now been concluded – with crews confirming it was an e-bike that started the incident.

Speaking to The Peterborough Telegraph, Eddie MacGregor, who lived at the home with partner Esmeralda and son Harry, said he had been told that was the likely cause of the fire – and the news had ‘sent a shiver down his spine.’

He said: “You plug these things in all the time – everything has a charger nowadays. You don’t even think about it.

"The bike had been charging over night while we had been asleep. It sends shivers down your spine when you think about what could have happened.

"It was a ticking time bomb.”

Elsewhere in the country, fires started by charging e-bikes and e-scooters have proved fatal – and they have been banned from a number of train services due to a fire risk.

Today, a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The fire was caused by a battery in an e-bike overheating, due to an incorrect charger being used to recharge it.

“The occupant of the property had purchased what they thought was a suitable charger to use for the e-bike, however the voltage was too high, so was supplying more power to the battery than it needed. This resulted in the battery overcharging, creating excess heat, leading to thermal runaway causing the fire to start. The bike itself did have overcharge protection, like most devices of this type, however this will only work with the correct charger, which is why it failed in this instance.

“This is obviously a terrible situation for the victims of this fire, as the damage to the home is significant. They have however had a fortunate escape. Fires involving batteries like this spread through a property very quickly, causing tragic consequences. Even having smoke alarms to alert residents to a fire are not always life-saving, as overheated batteries can explode releasing harmful vapours and allowing fire spread too quickly.”

Group Commander Rob Olivier, head of Fire Prevention, added: “We recently saw the tragic consequence of when a fire starts due to a charging device in Cambridge, where a mother and her two children died when the fire quickly took hold and spread through their home. Our crews, the family and the local community are still recovering from this devastating loss.”

The service spokesperson said: “There are things residents can do to avoid having a fire like this. The most important thing is to make sure you use the correct charger for a device. It can be very confusing to find the right input and voltage, and the product descriptions don’t always help. However it is very important to check the voltage a device can take, as well as making sure the charger is fully compliant with UK specifications. More information about this can be found in the Take Charge and Be Safe section of our website.”