Family's home destroyed in e-scooter fire

A family has warned about the dangers of leaving charging electric devices unattended after losing their home in a fire caused by recharging an e-scooter's battery.

Brad Pruden and his heavily pregnant partner Jessica Holland have been left devastated after their home in Caister, Norfolk, was gutted in a blaze on Tuesday morning.

Pruden, a barber, said he was getting ready for work when an electronic scooter gifted to them suddenly began making popping sounds after charging for 20 minutes. Within moments, it started "spitting flames".

"Everything we'd worked for over the last three or four years that we've had with that house is gone," he said.

The device that caught fire is a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle controlled using body weight.

Pruden's family escaped the house unharmed and did the right thing by charging it during the day and monitoring it, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service has said.

But the incident has highlighted how quickly battery fires can start and spread.

Pruden said: "Unplug your phones at night because you never know. It happens so fast that even with the smallest device, your house could be gone in minutes."

The father of three, who is soon to have his fourth child, said he tried as hard as he could to get the scooter out of his house, but it proved too difficult without risking serious injury.

Before doing so, he got his family out the house safely and his partner called the fire brigade. A crew from Great Yarmouth were at the scene within minutes.

"Honestly, I kept going around just thanking every one of them for doing their best because they are, they're amazing," he said.

"You can't thank the emergency services enough for what they do with what little they have."

Stories like Pruden's are becoming increasingly common, as fires caused by problems with lithium batteries are on the rise.

The rechargeable batteries are found in a wide range of electrical equipment such as e-scooters and e-bikes, vapes and phones.

The exact cause of the fault that caused the fire has not yet been determined, but battery fires can be caused by damaged or overcharged battery cells rapidly overheating and combusting.

When they do combust, fires can escalate rapidly.

Throwing away these batteries in waste can also be dangerous, and there have recently been a spate of bin lorry fires and an electronics recycling centre has been forced to close in Thetford after suffering a major blaze.

Following the fire, the community in Caister has rallied around the family and streams of people have been coming to offer support, the 30-year-old said.

"With everything that's going on in the world, we all still have each other and this proves it.

"The community around here that we have got is amazing. Everyone has come to the rescue."

An online fundraiser has also been set up by a friend to help raise money to support the family, and it has already raised more than £6,000.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service has reported the fire to Trading Standards, which will investigate the product that caught alight.

The cause of the fire is being treated as accidental.

The service provided the following advice about rechargeable electronic products:

• Charging devices while you are awake and at home so you can get out quickly and call 999
• Having working smoke alarms fitted on each floor of your home
• Not charging these devices in your exit route, such as in hallways or near doors.

Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.