Couple lose everything as exploding lithium battery destroys flat

A mother who pulled her partner from the flames after a lithium battery exploded in his face has said she will never forget his screams of “save me” as fire destroyed their home.

Joanne Davis, 45, who works in retail, and her partner Ken, a 46-year-old former store manager, were settling down for the evening at their flat in Barking , London , when she suddenly heard a “loud bang” from the next room – where Ken slept – in the early hours of October 3.

When the mother-of-two opened her door, she heard Ken shouting, “Jo, save me”, and she could see flames everywhere – with sparks shooting out “like a firework” from his room.

She managed to open the door and pull Ken from the flames of the room on the sixth floor and, after calling the emergency services, around 60 firefighters attended along with police, ambulance crews and London’s Air Ambulance – and 50 people were led to safety from the Mizzen Street property.

Joanne’s son, Lewis Pearson, 24, said the couple have “lost everything” in the fire – their possessions, their home, and their “precious” cats Toby and Tilly – and Ken remains in hospital with 7% burns and damage to his chest and lungs from inhaling “toxic” vapour from the explosion.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said the fire is being treated as accidental and it is believed to have been caused by the catastrophic failure of a lithium battery, which Ken was using to heat a hot tub he had made for their roof terrace and was being charged in his room when the fire occurred.

Lewis, who works in retail and lives in Hemel Hempstead, has set up a GoFundMe page to help his mother and stepfather rebuild their lives – and Joanne has been overwhelmed by people’s generosity.

“The night of the explosion, the fire, is a night I will never forget,” Joanne told PA Real Life.

“It all happened in minutes – from the noise and the piercing screams of Ken, screaming for me to save him because he thought he was going to die – in 10 minutes, everything changed our home forever.

“Our cats have been lost and we will never get over this.

“Lewis set the fundraiser up to try to support me and Ken in the rebuilding of our lives, to support with the travel to and from the hospital, to try to help us navigate where we go from here.

“Right now, I am existing. I feel numb, empty and just lost without Ken.”

Lewis explained his mother Joanne and stepfather Ken kept a large “reputable” lithium battery inside their flat, which was being charged in Ken’s bedroom on the night the explosion took place and used to heat their outdoor hot tub.

LFB said lithium batteries store a significant amount of energy in a very small space and are much more powerful compared to other types of batteries – and if that energy is released in an uncontrolled way, or if there is overheating, crushing, penetrating or overcharging, then a fire or explosion may result.

On the evening of October 2, the couple were settling down for the evening and went to bed, before Joanne heard “a couple of bangs” in the early hours of October 3.

She initially assumed the cats had “knocked something down outside”, but she then heard “a really loud bang” and Ken screaming for help.

Lewis, speaking on behalf of his mother, said: “She was terrified. She said that she came out her room… and she could hear Ken shouting, ‘Jo, save me’, and she could see flames everywhere.

“She tried to open the door twice before she went in the third time and grabbed him and pulled him out.

“We don’t know what happened – if he touched (the battery), if it fell – but it just went off.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said it was called at 12.51am on October 3 and sent several resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, members of its Hazardous Area Response Team, an incident response officer and London’s Air Ambulance.

Metropolitan Police Service officers were called by LFB at 12.59am and the building was evacuated as a precaution, and the fire was under control by 1.48am.

LFB said fires involving lithium batteries produce a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled.

Lewis explained that Ken has suffered burns to his face and arms due to his proximity to the explosion, his chest wall has been damaged and the bottom of his lungs have collapsed.

“He has opened his eyes a couple of times, but other than that, they’re keeping him pretty heavily sedated (in hospital),” Lewis said.

Lewis said the explosion “blew out the window” and left the flat “covered in soot” – and along with the fire destroying the couple’s possessions, they have lost their cats Toby and Tilly, who were their “best friends”.

“Ken’s room is basically just a shell of a room. It’s all black and everything’s gone, it’s literally just a black room,” he continued.

“My mum’s room opposite has got a lot of water damage and smoke damage, and on top of that, the whole flat is just covered in soot.

“Everything is just dark… there’s no colour in there at all.”

Joanne is currently arranging emergency accommodation with Barking and Dagenham Council and she is visiting Ken in hospital every day.

Lewis said she is a “strong independent woman” and would never ask for help, and that is why he launched the fundraiser for her, with an initial target of £100.

Within 48 hours, however, around £1,000 in donations had been received, leaving Joanne “in tears”, and Lewis said she feels “so indebted to everyone”.

Along with helping his mother and stepfather rebuild their lives and recover, Lewis wants to urge people to take the relevant checks and precautions with lithium batteries.

LFB said devices that are powered by lithium batteries include e-bikes and e-scooters, and these vehicles have become one of London’s fastest-growing fire risks.

Lithium batteries, or the devices powered by these batteries, should be stored and charged in a location away from where people live, such as in a shed or a garage.

“There are no words to describe how I feel right now, everything I knew has gone,” Joanne said.

“For Ken and I, our home was our bubble – when it was the two of us, we would shut the door and we were in our own little bubble and nothing and no-one could hurt us.

“Ken and I were a team, us against the world. Ken is my best friend, my soulmate, my whole world, he looked after me each and every day.

“I worked so Ken would look after our home and our two precious cats Toby and Tilly.

“Nothing was too much – Ken cooked every day, he loved cooking, he cleaned, he did the washing.”

Lewis added: “My mum has just told me she feels lost and, if she could, she just would be back home with Ken and the cats and lock herself away and forget everything.”

A spokesperson for B&D Reside, the landlord, said: “Our thanks go to the emergency services and our thoughts are with those affected. Our team is working alongside partners to support the residents affected.

“We reiterate and support the fire brigade’s advice about the precautions needed in relation to lithium batteries.”

To find out more or to donate to Lewis’ GoFundMe page, visit: gofundme.com/f/jo-and-ken-flat-on-fire .