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My partner said four tragic words before I lost my family, I beg you to listen to my warning this Christmas

My partner said four tragic words before I lost my family, I beg you to listen to my warning this Christmas

Waking up in a hospital bed, Scott Peden knew how lucky he was to be alive.

Heavily bandaged and blackened with burns, he instantly remembered the horrible house fire he had managed to escape.

Scott Peden warns others this Christmas after losing his entire family in house fire

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Scott Peden warns others this Christmas after losing his entire family in house fireCredit: Focus Features
His partner and two children as well as the family dogs were all killed in the fire.

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His partner and two children as well as the family dogs were all killed in the fire.Credit: Focus Features
House fire was caused by faulty second-hand battery

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House fire was caused by faulty second-hand batteryCredit: Scott Peden

But as he turned to his mother Glenda, 65, who was sitting next to him, it quickly became clear that something was seriously wrong.

She had to break the devastating news that he would never see his wife or their two young children again.

Scott, 31, was the only survivor of the fire which tore through the family home while they slept.

He said: “I still can’t understand what happened. I lost my whole family, everything, in a matter of minutes.”

Scott warns now Christmas Shoppers should be wary of buying second-hand electronic batteries after losing their partner and their children in a fire 18 months ago.

The father bought a second-hand battery after his was stolen and he needed his bike to get to work.

But two days after the purchase, the device 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. . The family is two dogs also perished.

Scott, from Cambridge, miraculously recovered after four weeks in a coma and is now trying to rebuild his life and warn others about the dangers of second-hand lithium batteries.

He said: “I grieve every day for the family I have lost, but this time of year is particularly difficult because Gemma and the children had a birthday and my sister was murdered over the New Year.

Mum issues urgent warning to ‘check fire alarms now’ as she shows devastating results of running her dishwasher at night

“At Christmas, when people buy e-bikes as gifts, I beg them not to buy second-hand batteries.

“There need to be stricter regulations regarding the resale of batteries, they must be verified and certified.

“We had smoke detectors, but because it was a lithium battery, we had no chance. I lost everything in the fire and I have to start all over again.

“Gemma should have had her birthday on December 14th, Oliver should have been 6 on December 23rd. Lily should be nine years old in January. Instead, they left. The only positive thing I get out of it is that I make sure this 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 Cambridge University while teenagers and moved in together ten years ago. Along with their two children, they had a greyhound-boxer cross, named Bitsy, and a Dalmatian called Rolo.

“We were a happy family, Gemma was very motherly and loved being a mum,” says Scott.

“She was also very artistic. She loved drawing, puzzles and coloring. She dreamed of becoming a pastry chef and, with Oliver about to start school, she considered returning to work.

I still can’t understand what happened. I lost my whole family, everything, in a few minutes

Scott

“I was working full time at Marks and Spencer, but with a young family, money was tight.

To help, Scott’s mother, Glenda, bought him an electric bike in early 2022, which he used to commute to work.

He says: “The electric bike was great. I worked shifts, so I couldn’t rely on buses and it was too far to walk.

But in June 2023, while he was out buying dog food, his battery was stolen outside a local store. With no way to get to work, Scott ordered a used replacement from ebay.

He said: “A new battery cost £600, so when I found one on eBay for £300 I thought it was a bargain. »

Scott emerged from a month-long coma and was treated at Broomfield Hospital, a specialist burns unit in Chelmsford.

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Scott emerged from a month-long coma and was treated at Broomfield Hospital, a specialist burns unit in Chelmsford.Credit: Scott Peden
Scott misses his children Lilly and Oliver every day after their lives were tragically cut short.

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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 a.m. by a huge bang. When Scott ran to investigate, he found the entire staircase in flames.

He says: “The detonation was like a bomb exploding. The stairs were ravaged by flames; the walls, the banister, everything was on fire. I knew we had no chance of going down.

“I tried to shout for help through the window but no one came so I jumped out into the garden, breaking my heel when I landed.

“I walked in through the back door and immediately realized the e-bike was the source. I tried to throw the battery outside, but the door was so hot it burned my hands, then the key melted.

“The fire was spreading, I was choking and realized there was no way through.”

Scott still remembers the tragic last words Gemma said to him.

“I ran towards the garden, hoping to persuade Gemma and the children to jump,” he said.

The 8 fire safety checks you should carry out every evening at home

To avoid a devastating fire in your home, you should carry out certain checks every night, according to Gov.uk.

  • Close interior doors at night to prevent a 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 operate appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers overnight
  • Turn off heaters and install firewalls
  • Extinguish candles and cigarettes correctly
  • Make sure exits remain clear
  • Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them

“I heard Gemma shouting, ‘I can’t go 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 hitting me and I realized I was on fire.

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 placed in a coma for four weeks and treated at Broomfield Hospital, a specialist burns unit in Chelmsford.

Glenda returned from vacation to be at her son’s bedside.

She says: “At first, I didn’t even recognize him. He was heavily bandaged and his face was very swollen and blackened with burns. I was told it was “touch and go”.

“The vapors from the lithium batteries, which are toxic, entered his lungs and caused him serious damage.”

A heart of gold

Over the next few weeks, Scott survived several brushes with death, including three bouts of pneumonia, a cardiac arrest and an infection. When he woke up, he remembered all the details of the fire, but did not know if his family had survived.

Glenda recalls: “It was the worst thing to have to tell him they hadn’t succeeded. »

In a municipality funeralScott played Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” which was his and Gemma’s song. The family’s ashes have since been buried together.

Scott said: “I still can’t understand 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, all alone. I don’t even have photos to remember it by, everything I owned was destroyed.”

He was already no stranger to tragedy because this Christmas also marks sister’s second birthday death.

Stephanie Hansen, 39, was murdered by her roommate, Sheldon Rodrigues, 30, in December 2022.

Scott says: “Stephanie was absolutely lovely, inside and out. She had a heart of gold and spent her free time volunteering with community action groups.

“She was passionate about the environment and nature and was a member of a litter collection group.

Christmas is particularly hard and I am speaking out to warn other families of the dangers.

Scott Peden

“I had met Rodrigues several times. He had even spent Christmas with my family before. It was clear to everyone that he was obsessed with her. But we could never have imagined that he would hurt her.

Stephanie’s body was discovered on New Year’s Eve 2022 in her West London apartment and her killer, who carried out the attack when she refused his advances, was jailed for life in March this year.

The loss of Stephanie and her closest family left Scott crushed.

He said: “As well as losing my whole family, I had to go through the trauma of my sister’s murder and the trial.

“Christmas is particularly hard.”

Scott is now calling for greater regulation around electronic batteries and wants to highlight the risks associated with buying second-hand, to prevent further tragedies.

“I thought I was saving money, which is what all young families try to do, especially in the run-up to Christmas,” he says. “I would never have had a battery in my home if I had known there was a risk.”

Scott urges his other families not to buy used batteries as he recovers from the physical scars of his ordeal.

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Scott urges his other families not to buy used batteries as he recovers from the physical scars of his ordeal.Credit: Focus Features
This year will also mark the second anniversary of the murder of his sister Stéphanie.

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This year will also mark the second anniversary of the murder of his sister Stéphanie.Credit: Scott Peden