Dad living out of suitcase after e-bike bought as surprise gift by friend bursts into flames and destroys home

A man who rushed back from holiday to find his house had burned down after his best friend decided to surprise him with an e-bike which burst into flames said he was left “absolutely shattered” after cherished family memories were destroyed in the blaze.

David Bird, 50, took his three sons away for a “nice and quiet” weekend in Wales, on June 23 this year, after asking his best friend, Dan Angus, 42, to look after his kittens while they were away.

But a day into their holiday at a caravan park in Gwynedd, David received a panicked phone call from Dan in tears, saying his house was on fire and he needed to come home immediately.

Dan explained that he had bought David an e-bike on Amazon to help with his mobility problems and had left it on charge, when suddenly he heard a “loud noise” and flames started spreading through the kitchen.

By the time David arrived home in Coton Fields, Stafford, most of his belongings had been destroyed, including “precious keepsakes” in memory of his late father and beloved daughter, who died 13 years ago in a car accident.

David does not blame his friend for the blaze, which caused thousands of pounds of damage and forced him to postpone his wedding which was set to take place later this year.

“Because I broke my back when I was knocked off my bike in 2009 and now suffer from mobility problems, Dan had bought me an electric bike as a surprise – bless him,” David told PA Real Life.

“He’s put it on charge and been sat watching the UFC in the living room when ‘BANG’, he’s heard an explosion.

“He tried to put the fire out with a tea towel, but it just spread so quickly.

“So, yeah, what was supposed to be a nice surprise was actually horrendous.

“I can’t put it into words. I was absolutely shattered.”

David was looking forward to treating his sons to a “rare weekend away” and had just woken up with his boys when he received the devastating phone call from his friend to say he needed to rush home.

“He just sobbed his heart out on the phone,” he said.

“He was feeling really guilty and saying he was so sorry.

“I said ‘No, it’s not your fault’. I did not even know that could happen.”

David immediately packed his bags and rushed back to Stafford, 130 miles away, but there was nothing he could do.

“I just cried,” he said.

“Everything in my life had gone up in smoke and I’m now living out of a suitcase and sleeping on a sofa.

“From what I’ve been told, it just went up and absolutely spread like wildfire.”

Firefighters arrived on the scene in the early hours of June 25.

The blaze has caused huge damage to David’s three-bedroom house, where he has lived for the past five years, with his children visiting at weekends.

“The kitchen is devastated,” he said.

“The front room is devastated. Upstairs has got so much fire damage and the smoke and soot…

“I’ve washed things, but I just can’t get the smell out.

“It’s a full rebuild, to be honest, and I’m determined to do that.”

Expensive items, such as laptops, tablets and his sons’ Xbox games console were also damaged by the fire.

But it is the “heartfelt stuff” and family “keepsakes” that matter most to David, who is now living with his fiancee, Kellie-Marie Anderson, 38, in nearby Stoke-on-Trent.

“It’s just all the sentimental stuff that’s got me really,” he said.

“I had childhood photos of me and the kids, things they made for me in school and that sort of thing.

“My dad’s cane, who passed away from a heart attack back in 2016.

“That’s been hard to take if I’m honest, because I can’t get them back.”

David, who also has a daughter and will soon have two stepsons, said he had never heard of e-bikes or scooters catching fire.

“My fiancee went on to Google and looked it up and there have just been so many cases,” he said.

The couple were due to get married later this year, but have been forced to postpone the wedding because they can no longer afford it.

While David is still waiting for the fire service’s official report, he has been told they are “more or less certain” it was caused by the charging e-bike.

The traumatic experience has shaken David’s confidence and will cost him thousands of pounds to rectify.

“I’ve been to the doctors because I’m not really sleeping at the moment,” he said.

“I find myself up at two or three in the morning, pacing around, just thinking about other stuff which might have burned.”

Despite what happened, there is no bad blood between David and his friend, who called the fire brigade and raced to save David’s cat and her kittens.

Dan, who bought the e-bike and charger on Amazon, said: “I had charged the bike up at my nan’s earlier that day so I could test drive it, and it was fine.

“I took it to Dave’s and put it on charge in the kitchen.

“It was only on charge for about an hour.

“I was nodding off on the settee, watching the UFC that night, and I just heard a fizzling sound.

“I literally went to try and get the cats but I couldn’t breathe.”

Dan raced into the kitchen and tried to extinguish the flames, which were already “above his head”, with a towel, but there was nothing he could do.

He managed to rescue some of David’s cats before Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived and located the remaining kittens.

David is now looking to raise £3,000 on GoFundMe to help cover the cost of rebuilding his home, which is estimated will take around six months.

“I was absolutely crushed when I saw the house,” he said.

“Everything was gone in one fell swoop.

“I’m just happy that no-one was hurt.

“I could have lost my best friend in that pile.”

Fire service watch manager David Vincent, who went to the scene, said: “E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular and most are powered by lithium-ion batteries which can be charged in the home.

“It’s important when charging e-bikes and e-scooters that you do so safely to avoid a risk of a fire starting inside your home.

“Always use the correct charger.

“If you charge or store your e-bike or e-scooter in a garage or kitchen, make sure you install detection which can alert you if they overheat and ignite, such as a heat alarm.

“Don’t leave batteries to charge while you are asleep or away from the home and make sure (to) keep them away from escape routes or in communal areas of shared accommodation.

“Store e-bikes and e-scooters and their batteries in a cool place.

“Aim to avoid storing them in excessively hot or cold areas.”

– For more information around e-bike and e-scooter safety, visit www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/your-safety/safety-outside/e-bike-and-e-scooter-safety/.