Mum's partner cried ‘save me’ after lithium 'hot tub' battery exploded in face

The fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have been caused by the catastrophic failure of a lithium battery, which Ken was using to heat a hot tub he had made for their roof terrace and was being charged in his room when the fire occurred

A mum who pulled her partner from the flames after a lithium battery exploded in his face says she will never forget his cries of “save me” as fire destroyed their home.

Joanne Davis, 45, who has a retail job, and Ken, her 46-year-old ex-store manager partner, were winding down for the night at their flat in Barking, London, when a "loud bang" could be heard from the next room, where Ken slept, in the early hours of October 3. Bursting into the room, Joanne was met with the sight of Ken yelling, "Jo, save me", amid sparks shooting out "like a firework".

She wrenched the door open and pulled Ken to safety from the sixth-floor room. Their emergency call prompted about 60 firefighters to swarm the Mizzen Street scene where they worked tirelessly alongside police, paramedics, and London’s Air Ambulance, leading 50 residents to safety.

The family's son, Lewis Pearson, 24, spoke of the devastating loss they faced, as the blaze not only consumed their home but also claimed the lives of their cherished cats, Toby and Tilly, while Ken battles serious injuries in hospital with 7% burns and lung damage caused by noxious fumes. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is investigating the fire, which appears accidental, triggered by a malfunctioning lithium battery used for heating a homemade hot tub on their roof terrace and charging in Ken’s room at the time of the disaster.

Lewis, a retail worker from Hemel Hempstead, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist his mother and stepfather after their lives were turned upside down by a devastating fire. Joanne said: "The night of the explosion, the fire, is a night I will never forget," she recounted.

"It all happened in minutes – from the noise and the piercing screams of Ken, screaming for me to save him because he thought he was going to die – in 10 minutes, everything changed our home forever. Our cats have been lost and we will never get over this. Lewis set the fundraiser up to try to support me and Ken in the rebuilding of our lives, to support with the travel to and from the hospital, to try to help us navigate where we go from here."

She added: "Right now, I am existing. I feel numb, empty and just lost without Ken." Lewis pointed out that his mother Joanne and stepfather Ken stored a sizable "reputable" lithium battery in their flat, which ignited due to it being charged in Ken’s bedroom that night and was normally used to power their exterior hot tub.

The London Fire Brigade warns that lithium batteries pack immense energy into a tiny space, are significantly more potent than other battery types, and can trigger fires or explosions if they overheat, become crushed, pierced or overcharged.

AS the couple were winding down and heading to bed, Joanne was startled by "a couple of bangs" in the early hours of October 3. She initially assumed the cats had “knocked something down outside”, but she then heard “a really loud bang” and Ken screaming for help. Lewis, recounting his mother's experience, said: "She was terrified. She said that she came out her room... and she could hear Ken shouting, ‘Jo, save me’, and she could see flames everywhere."

"She tried to open the door twice before she went in the third time and grabbed him and pulled him out. We don’t know what happened – if he touched (the battery), if it fell – but it just went off."

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service reported that they received a call at 12.51am on October 3 and dispatched emergency resources, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, the Hazardous Area Response Team, an incident response officer, and London’s Air Ambulance.

The Met ropolitan Police Service was alerted by the LFB at 12.59am, leading to an evacuation of the building as a safety measure, with the fire being successfully extinguished by 1.48am. The LFB has warned that fires involving lithium batteries can release a highly flammable, explosive, and toxic vapour cloud which is dangerous to inhale.

Lewis further detailed that Ken sustained burns to his face and arms from the explosion, suffered damage to his chest wall, and experienced a collapse in the lower part of his lungs. "He has opened his eyes a couple of times, but other than that, they’re keeping him pretty heavily sedated (in hospital)," Lewis revealed.

Describing the aftermath of the explosion, Lewis said it "blew out the window" and left the flat "covered in soot". The fire not only destroyed the couple's belongings but also claimed the lives of their beloved cats Toby and Tilly, who were their "best friends". "Ken’s room is basically just a shell of a room. It’s all black and everything’s gone, it’s literally just a black room," he added.

"My mum’s room opposite has got a lot of water damage and smoke damage, and on top of that, the whole flat is just covered in soot. Everything is just dark... there’s no colour in there at all."

Joanne is now working with Barking and Dagenham Council to secure emergency housing and makes daily visits to Ken in the hospital. Despite her ordeal, Lewis described her as a "strong independent woman" who would never ask for help, which prompted him to start a fundraiser with an initial goal of £100.

Within 48 hours, the fundraiser had amassed around £1,000, leaving Joanne "in tears" and feeling "so indebted to everyone". In addition to aiding his mother and stepfather in rebuilding their lives, Lewis is keen to raise awareness about the dangers of lithium batteries, urging people to perform necessary checks and take precautions.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has identified devices powered by lithium batteries, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, as one of London’s fastest-growing fire risks. Lithium batteries, or the devices powered by these batteries, should be stored and charged in a location away from where people live, such as in a shed or a garage. "There are no words to describe how I feel right now, everything I knew has gone," Joanne said.

"For Ken and I, our home was our bubble – when it was the two of us, we would shut the door and we were in our own little bubble and nothing and no-one could hurt us. "Ken and I were a team, us against the world. Ken is my best friend, my soulmate, my whole world, he looked after me each and every day."

"I worked so Ken would look after our home and our two precious cats Toby and Tilly. " "Nothing was too much – Ken cooked every day, he loved cooking, he cleaned, he did the washing."

Lewis added: "My mum has just told me she feels lost and, if she could, she just would be back home with Ken and the cats and lock herself away and forget everything."

A spokesperson for B&D Reside, the landlord, said: "Our thanks go to the emergency services and our thoughts are with those affected. Our team is working alongside partners to support the residents affected. We reiterate and support the fire brigade’s advice about the precautions needed in relation to lithium batteries."

To find out more or to donate to Lewis’ GoFundMe page, visit: gofundme.com/f/jo-and-ken-flat-on-fire.