Update on tragic deaths of Blackpool teens in Redcar Road house fire as expert raises huge e-bike safety fears

Inquests into the deaths of two Blackpool teenagers who died from injuries sustained in a house fire have been opened and adjourned.

Blackpool’s Senior Coroner Alan Wilson kept the two separate hearings ‘as brief as possible’ into the deaths of Joey Gregory, 19 and Coby Keogh, 13.

The teens died from injuries following the fire on June 30 after the battery of an e-bike purchased only the day before exploded at the property in Redcar Road.

Coby was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital but tragically died on July 4 whilst Joey lost his battle on July 9 at Wythenshawe Hospital.

The friends both died due to hypoxic brain injuries caused by smoke inhalation and burns.

During the openings, Mr Wilson expressed deep concerns about e-bike safety and in particular the batteries and modifications to them to make them go faster and wanted to ‘focus on and alert the risks of e-bikes.’

Police and fire crews were called to the house, where Coby lived, on the evening of June 30 to reports of a house fire. Three other people inside the property suffered minor injuries.

At the hearings the coroner said that all the information available suggests the source of the fire was an e-bike inside the property.

“That seems to be the seat of the fire” he said, “the bike may have been purchased the previous day and was in the house on the day of the fire.

“Indications suggest there was a sudden explosion that blew out the window and the fire took hold. All the available evidence seems to point to an e-bike.”

Mr Wilson told the families that police reports and those being prepared by fire experts were being prepared but drew similarities of the tragic case to that of another fatal fire in 2024 where an e-bike was found to be the root cause. Danielle Bamber, 24, and Josh Pearson, 28, lost their lives after the blaze at their Peter Street home.

Referring to the latest tragedy, the coroner said at today’s hearing (August 6) that there was an 18 month gap between the e-bike’s initial purchase and the fire - ‘a window where we don't know what happened to it.’

“There are concerns about tampering with batteries and the way they are powered, removing restrictions and the consequences of that. We are not talking about reputable vendors this is e-bikes being taken into a property and not knowing if it has been tampered with. This is a risk to people and a risk of house fires.

“There may be more clarity on this when we have more evidence at the end of the inquest.”

Joey was a mechanical engineering student who lived on Horse Chestnut Mews in Hambleton. Coby, who was born in Blackpool, was still in school.

Joey had made his wishes clear that in the event of his death, he wanted his organs to be donated. His heart and both kidneys were donated to three individuals.

The coroner thanked Joey’s family for being prepared to do that.

Upon closing the proceedings, the coroner said a date would be arranged for the final inquests later this year.