Scott Peden escaped through a bedroom window and went back into his burning Cambridge home on June 30, 2023, trying to save his partner Gemma Germeney and their two children, Lilly and Oliver. At a March 17, 2026 pre-inquest review that Peden followed online, coroner Elizabeth Gray said she did not think it was disputed that the e-bike had been modified and caused the fire. hellorayo.co.uk · itv.com
In his account to Greatest Hits Radio, Peden said he and Germeney woke to an almighty bang, and that he found flames blocking the staircase. He jumped from the window, broke his foot and made his way to the back door. Inside, he tried to kick the charger away from the bike and suffered burns to his feet, neck, arm and hands. He then shouted upstairs for Germeney and the children to get out. hellorayo.co.uk
Germeney, 31, died at the scene. Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four, were rescued by firefighters and later died in hospital. Peden was critically injured and spent more than a month in hospital. He said he woke four weeks after he was admitted. After discharge, he was living with his mother in Ely while the council worked to find him another home. That September, Cambridge City Council said the fire-service investigation concluded the most probable cause of the accidental fire was a faulty e-bike battery being charged overnight. cambs.police.uk · hellorayo.co.uk · hellorayo.co.uk · cambridge.gov.uk
Peden has said his family are the first thing he thinks about when he wakes and the last thing on his mind at night. At the time of the March pre-inquest review, he was still campaigning for tighter safety measures around lithium batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters. QBE said Freedom of Information data from UK fire services showed 362 fires involving an electric bike in 2024; 42 of the 50 services it contacted provided data. hellorayo.co.uk · itv.com · qbeeurope.com
Moving on, Peden said, has meant “having to start your life over again.” hellorayo.co.uk
The strongest consumer-safety implication is the need for more specific guidance around modified e-bikes and battery charging. Officials identified a modified bike and a faulty battery being charged overnight, and separate fire-service data shows that e-bike fires are a recurring issue beyond a single household. The reporting does not establish how the modification itself contributed to this fire, so any response should keep that uncertainty clear. Warnings and safety measures should nevertheless address modification and charging circumstances explicitly, giving consumers concrete information tied to the risks officials have actually documented.
Sources used:
Greatest Hits Radio, EXCLUSIVE: Cambridge dad ‘lost everything’ in e-bike fire: https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/cambridgeshire/news/dad-lost-everything-in-e-bike-fire
ITV News Anglia, Modified e-bike started fire that killed mum and two children in Cambridge, inquest told: https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2026-03-17/modified-e-bike-started-fire-that-killed-mum-and-two-children-inquest-told
Greatest Hits Radio, Cambridge e-bike fire survivor ‘having to start life over again’: https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/cambridgeshire/news/cambridge-e-bike-fire-pre-inquests
Cambridge City Council, Council appeals to government to raise awareness around risks of E-bike battery fires: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/news/2023/09/14/council-appeals-to-government-to-raise-awareness-around-risks-of-e-bike-battery-fires
Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Victims of Cambridge fire named: https://www.cambs.police.uk/news/cambridgeshire/news/2023/june/victims-of-cambridge-fire-named/
QBE, Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries double in two years: https://qbeeurope.com/news-and-events/press-releases/fires-caused-by-lithium-ion-batteries-double-in-two-years