E-bike battery explosion kills three in Cambridge house fire

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 18:44 · Archive

A woman and two children died when an e-bike battery exploded in their Cambridge home in June 2023.

Gemma Germeney, 31, and her two children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, died when their home in Sackville Close, Cambridge caught fire on 30 June 2023 after an e-bike battery exploded. Scott Peden, their father and partner, heard a "massive bang" when the battery ignited and survived the fire but suffered severe injuries. An inquest into Gemma's death began at Vantage House in Huntingdon in October.

Peden had purchased the e-bike from Facebook and later bought a replacement battery online for around £300 after the original was stolen. He said the battery never reached full charge, only reaching 88 per cent. He took it to a man named Severinov, who worked from a shed in his garden and changed the fuse for £30. When the battery died days later, Severinov said it needed replacing and offered one of his own batteries, but Peden told the court he had no money in the bank until payday.

How it is being reported

• E-bike battery in fatal fire had repairs - inquestGemma Germeney, 31, and children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four, lost their lives in the blaze.BBC Cambridgeshire · 8 Oct, 19:10
• Father heard ‘massive bang’ before Cambridge house fire that killed family, inquest hearsGemma Germeney, 31, and her two children Lilly Peden and Oliver Peden died in the house fire in 2023Cambridgeshire Live · 8 Oct, 18:00

In this story: Gemma Germeney · Lilly Peden · Oliver Peden · Scott Peden · Cambridge

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