Woke up in a hospital bed, Scott Peden knew how lucky he was to be alive.
Heavily wrapped and blackened from burns, he immediately remembered the terrible fire in the house from which he managed to escape.
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Scott Peden is warning others this Christmas after losing his entire family in a house fireCredit: Focus Features
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His partner and two children, as well as the family dogs, died in the fire Credit: Focus Features
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House fire caused by defective used battery Credit: Scott Peden
But turning to his mum Glenda, 65, who was sitting next to him, it soon became clear that something was wrong.
She had to deliver the devastating news that he would never see his wife or their two young children again.
Scott was the only survivor of a fire that engulfed the family home while they were sleeping.
Scott says: “I still can’t figure out what happened. I lost my whole family, everything, in a matter of minutes.”
Scott is now warning Christmas shoppers to be wary of buying used e-batteries after losing both his partner and children in a fire 18 months ago.
Scott Peden bought a used battery after his own was stolen and he needed a bike to get to work.
But two days after the purchase it exploded with such ferocity that it destroyed his home and killed his partner, Gemma Germeney, 31, and their two young children, Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four. Two family dogs also died.
Scott miraculously recovered after four weeks in a coma and is now trying to rebuild his life and warn others about the dangers of used lithium batteries.
Scott, 31, from Cambridge, said: “Every day I grieve for the family I’ve lost, but this time of year is particularly difficult because Gemma and the children had birthdays and my sister was killed over New Year.
A mum issues an urgent warning to ‘check the fire alarms immediately’ as she shows the devastating results of running the dishwasher at night
“At Christmas, when people buy e-bikes as gifts, I ask people not to buy used batteries.
“There must be stricter regulations on the resale of batteries, they should be checked and certified.
“We had smoke alarms, but because it was a lithium battery, we didn’t stand a chance. I lost everything in the fire and have to start over.
“Gemma was supposed to celebrate her birthday on December 14th, Oliver should be 6 years old on December 23rd. Lily should be nine years old in January. Instead, they are gone. The only positive thing that comes out of this is to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
We were a happy family, Gemma was very motherly and loved being a mum.
Scott Peden
Scott and Gemma met at college in Cambridge as teenagers and moved in together ten years ago. In addition to two children, they had a cross between a greyhound and a boxer, Bitsy, and a Dalmatian, Rola.
Scott says: “We were a happy family, Gemma was very motherly and loved being a mum.
“She was also very artistic. She loved to draw, do puzzles and colour. She dreamed of being a baker and, with Oliver about to start school, was thinking about going back to work.
I still can’t figure out what happened. I lost my whole family, everything, in a matter of minutes
Scott
“I was working full time at Marks and Spencer but with a young family money was tight.”
To help him, Scott’s mom, Glenda, bought him an e-bike in early 2022 that he used to commute.
He says: “The e-bike was brilliant. I worked shifts, so I couldn’t rely on buses, and it was too far to walk.”
But in June 2023, after he went to buy dog food, his battery was stolen outside a local grocery store. Faced with being unable to get to work, Scott ordered a used replacement on ebay.
He says: “A new battery was £600 so when I found one on ebay for £300 I thought it was a bargain.”
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Scott has emerged from a month-long coma and is being treated at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford’s specialist burns unit Credit: Scott Peden
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Scott misses his children Lilly and Oliver every day after their lives were tragically cut short Credit: Scott Peden
Scott left the battery charging downstairs in the hallway. But on the second night, he and Gemma were woken at 12.45 by a loud bang. When Scott ran to investigate, he found the entire staircase on fire.
He says: “The explosion was like a bomb exploding. The stairs were engulfed in flames; the walls, the fence, everything was lit. I knew we had no chance of making it down there.
“I tried to shout for help through the window, but no one came, so I jumped out into the back garden, breaking my heel on the landing.
“I walked in through the back door and immediately realized that the e-bike was the source. I tried to throw the battery out but the door was so hot it burned my hands and then the key melted.
– The fire was spreading, and I was suffocating and I realized that there was no way out.
Scott still remembers the tragic last words Gemma said to him.
“I ran back into the garden, hoping to get Gemma and the kids to jump,” he says.
8 fire checks you should be doing in your home every night
TO avoid a devastating fire in your home, there are some checks you should carry out every night, according to Gov.uk.
- Close interior doors at night to prevent fire from spreading
- Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to stay on – like your freezer.
- Make sure your stove is turned off
- Do not run appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers overnight
- Turn off the heaters and install the fire extinguishers
- Extinguish candles and cigarettes properly
- Check that the exits are free
- Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them
“I heard Gemma yelling, ‘I can’t get out,’ and then there was nothing.
“The house was on fire, and I collapsed on the children’s trampoline behind me. I was aware that someone was patting me and I realized I was burning.”
Neighbors called for help and stayed with Scott until firefighters and paramedics arrived. Scott saw Lilly’s body being carried out of the house and passed out from the trauma.
He was in a coma for four weeks and was treated at Broomfield Hospital, a specialist burns unit in Chelmsford.
Glenda returned from vacation to be at her son’s bedside.
She says: “I didn’t even recognize him at first.” He was very wrapped up, and his face was very swollen and blackened from the burns. I was told it was touch and go.
“Lithium battery fumes, which are toxic, entered his lungs and caused serious damage.”
A heart of gold
Over the following weeks, Scott survived several near-death experiences, including three bouts of pneumonia, cardiac arrest and an infection. When he woke up, he remembered all the details of the fire, but he didn’t know if his family had survived.
Glenda recalls, “That was the worst thing, having to tell him they didn’t make it.”
At the joint funeral, Scott played Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ which was his and Gemma’s song. The family’s ashes have since been buried together.
Scott says: “I still can’t figure out what happened. I lost my whole family, everything, in a matter of minutes.
“We had so much to look forward to, and I dread this new life, alone. I don’t even have photos to remember them by, everything I owned was destroyed.”
He was no stranger to tragedies, as this Christmas marks the second anniversary of his sister’s death.
Stephanie Hansen (39) was killed by her housemate Sheldon Rodrigues (30) in December 2022.
Scott says: “Stephanie was absolutely lovely, inside and out. She had a heart of gold and spent her spare time volunteering in community action groups.
“She was passionate about the environment and nature and was a member of a litter collection group.
Christmas is especially difficult, and I am speaking out to warn other families of the dangers.
Scott Peden
“I met Rodrigues many times. He even spent Christmas with my family in the past. It was clear to everyone that he was obsessed with her. But we could never have dreamed that he would hurt her.”
Stephanie’s body was discovered on New Year’s Eve 2022 in her west London flat and her killer, who carried out the attack when she refused his textbooks, was jailed for life in March this year.
The loss of Stephanie and his immediate family left Scott devastated.
He says: “Besides losing my whole family, I had to go through the trauma of my sister’s murder and the trial.
“Christmas is especially difficult.”
Scott is now calling for greater regulation of e-batteries and wants to highlight the risks associated with buying used batteries to prevent further tragedies.
“I thought I was saving money, which is something all young families try to do, especially around Christmas,” he says. “I would never have had a battery in my home if I had known there was a risk.”
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Scott is urging other families not to buy used batteries as he recovers from the physical scars of his ordealCredit: Focus Features
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This year will also mark the second anniversary of the murder of his sister Stephanie Credit: Scott Peden
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Source: HIS Education