Cambridge man hopes e-bike fire inquest saves more families from 'wheel of torment'
An inquest is due to take place today
A man who lost his family after an e-bike battery exploded at their home in Cambridge believes an inquest into their deaths can help prevent other families going through what he has.
Scott Peden's partner Gemma Germeney, 31, his daughter Lilly, 8, son Oliver, 4, and their two dogs were killed after the blaze in Sackville Close in June 2023.
An inquest into their deaths is due to be held today.
"All the work we're doing is trying to push for a proper accident safety report that someone's actually going to listen to because unfortunately, there have been more of these reports but there isn't anything being done about it," Scott said.
The blaze began when Scott’s e-bike, which he used for commuting, overheated while charging under the staircase.
After the original lithium-ion battery was stolen earlier in the year, Scott had replaced it with a less expensive alternative found online.
Scott was left critically injured but was unable to save Gemma, Lilly and Oliver.
"We're just hoping this doesn't get swept under the rug as another tragic accident," he said.
"(I want to see) whatever happened is investigated and we get a proper prevention of future deaths report that will finally make a difference and put in some regulations on these batteries."
A pre-inquest review hearing held earlier this year heard a modified e-bike caused the fire.
At the time of the fire, Cambridgeshire Fire Service said the most probable cause of the fire was an e-bike that was charging.
Since the fire, Scott's campaign work to bring in tighter measures around the safety of lithium batteries - found in e-bikes and e-scooters - has caught national attention.
Off the back of his campaigning, Scott has overseen a change in the law through a Product Safety and Metrology Bill.
When the Act was being made into law, it aimed to "address challenges, such as the fire risk associated with e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries" before being given Royal Assent last year.
A separate law - the Lithium Ion Battery Safety Bill which aims to regulate the sale, storage and disposal of these batteries found in devices like e-bikes - is currently being debated in the House of Lords.
Government figures show 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires were reported by fire and rescue services in England last year, with numbers rising year on year since 2017.
Despite his continued calls for change, Scott still finds it tough to move forward in life.
"(Gemma) was the one in my life," he said.
"They say there's the one person out there for everyone, but what happens when you meet that person and you lose them? You become absolutely lost.
"I'm still in love with her and I'm still suffering in many ways; I'm dealing with injuries that are taking their time to heal, a lot of PTSD issues."
Scott said he's reminded of the fire especially when birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries come around, and described his life now as "a constant wheel of torment".
The 33-year-old has previously called for more access to public, rentable e-bikes and e-scooters which could reduce the need for the devices to be brought into homes.
He is still determined to make this happen after the inquest, in a bid to lower the risk of battery fires inside the home and ensure his family's legacy lives on.
"The gas that comes off them (lithium batteries) is extremely toxic and the problem is they don't last long," Scott added.
"When they get overused or old, they get hot and explode with such ferocity, it can and has destroyed so many lives."
"It's (campaigning) basically making sure that they didn't die in vain and that something can come out of their deaths which can save other people."