Blackpool mum-of-four died after leaping from bedroom window to escape e-bike fire amid major safety warning

Lancashire Fire and Rescue service have issued a severe warning regarding the fatal dangers posed by e-bikes after Blackpool was highlighted as a hotspot for deaths linked to lithium ion battery-linked blazes.

New data has revealed that over a quarter of UK deaths in the past four years linked to e-bike fires occurred in Blackpool, with the authorities highlighting a number of tragic cases including that of mum-of-four Rebecca Downes, 44, who died in 2022 after leaping from her bedroom window to escape a roaring blaze caused by an e-bike battery fire at her Hill Street home.

Rebecca’s partner, a man in his 50s, and three of her children, then aged 13, 16 and 26, were also hospitalised. Overall, some 18 people have sadly lost their lives as a result of death-trap e-bike fires since 2022, with five of those cases taking place in Blackpool.

In 2024, Danielle Bamber, 24, and Josh Pearson, 28, died after a fire ‘most likely’ caused by an e-bike, according to the coroner, ripped through their home on Peter Street at around 2.35am on Wednesday, July 16. Thankfully, a neighbour heroically rescued the couple’s two young children by smashing windows at the property to pull them to safety after hearing an explosion.

On June 30 of this year, a similar blaze at a property on Redcar Road claimed the lives of Joey Gregory, 19, and Coby Keogh, 13. Coby was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital but tragically died on July 4, while 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.

Blackpool firefighter Warren Topp, Lancashire Fire and Rescue’s Western and Northern Area Incident Intelligence Officer, has said that lithium battery fires are ‘very aggressive’ and difficult to extinguish as a result of them having their own oxygen supply, making e-bike blazes particularly dangerous.

“We have had five e-bike or e-Scooter fatalities in Blackpool over the last four years and continue to have near miss fires in Lancashire roughly on a weekly basis,” he said. “We are in a cost of living crisis and there is a real trend for buying second hand scooters.

"Fires caused by lithium batteries are very aggressive, we can't put them out because they have their own oxygen supply. Any spark within the battery will ignite a fire - a very aggressive one. People tend to come home, ride them into the house and leave them in hallways, which actually blocks the fire escape route.”

In areas such as Blackpool, where deprivation is high, cheap second hand e-bikes and e-scooters are popular as affordable and convenient methods of getting around, with some models available for just a few hundred pounds.

But that affordability can come with a serious risk. Many e-bikes are poorly maintained, illegally modified, or fitted with unsafe batteries and chargers, with footage of lithium battery fires demonstrating the terrifying pace at which such blazes ignite and spread within minutes.

As a result, buying e-bikes or e-scooters through marketplaces can carry hidden danger. Buyers may have little information about the vehicle’s history, battery, or charger, and cheap foreign imports can also fail to meet UK safety standards, increasing the risk of battery failure, fire, or serious injury.

"We hear the classic line 'I only bought it yesterday,' but people need to ask themselves why second-hand scooters are being sold in the first place,” said Warren. “They may not have been used for a while and decide sell them on a marketplace, such as Facebook or eBay, and the danger comes because they have not been charged for a long time.

“Without proper charging, lithium batteries deteriorate. After a while, they enter a state of thermal runaway, which means the heat they produce stays within the cells, causing them to hiss and produce toxic gases in jets that are also flammable. Any spark within the battery will ignite a fire - a very aggressive one.

"The second reason someone might sell an e-bike or scooter is because they are not charging as well - that could be down to a fault in one of the cells or has the item been sold with the correct charger? Reputable places like Giant have proper battery management systems which stop bikes from overcharging, and those companies are regulated.

"Any vehicle with a battery over 250 watts is illegal to ride on roads and pavements,” said Warren. “But some people buy ones that are 2000 watts, and the fires from those are much more severe. The two main considerations are they need to be stored in a garage and not buying second hand. If we could take those two out of the equation, we would save a lot of lives.”

While the inquest into the deaths of Joey Gregory and Coby Keogh is set to continue on November 4, Blackpool coroner Alan Wilson took the opportunity at the August 7 opening hearing into the friends’ deaths to echo Warren’s concerns, expressing deep fears regarding modified e-bikes and second-hand purchases.

“There are concerns about tampering with batteries and the way they are powered, removing restrictions and the consequences of that,” said Mr Wilson. “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.”

Lancashire Police also issued an update regarding an investigation into the death of Rebecca Downes. Police initially arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter on July 26, 2022 and brought him in for questioning. He was later released under investigation, with the police today confirming that he was not charged and that the investigation was subsequently closed.