Mum says 'save me' partner's face after lithium battery explosion destroyed flat

Joanne and her partner Ken were settling down for the evening at their flat in London when she heard a "loud bang" in the early hours

A mother heroically saved her partner from a raging fire after a lithium battery exploded in his face, leaving him screaming "save me" as their home was engulfed in flames.

Joanne Davis, 45, a retail worker, and her partner Ken, a 46-year-old former store manager, were settling into their evening at their Barking flat when a "loud bang" erupted from Ken's room on October 3.

Upon opening the door, Joanne was met with Ken's cries of "Jo, save me" and a room ablaze, with sparks "like a firework". Bravely, she managed to drag Ken from the inferno on the sixth floor.

The emergency services responded with about 60 firefighters, police, ambulance crews, and London’s Air Ambulance, evacuating 50 people from the Mizzen Street property.

Joanne’s son, Lewis Pearson, 24, revealed that the couple had "lost everything" to the blaze, including their possessions, their home, and their beloved cats, Toby and Tilly.

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Ken is currently hospitalised with 7% burns and lung damage from inhaling "toxic" fumes. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has declared the fire accidental, likely sparked by a malfunctioning lithium battery used for heating a homemade hot tub on their roof terrace, which was charging in Ken's room at the time of the fire.

Lewis, a retail worker from Hemel Hempstead, has created a GoFundMe page to assist his mother and stepfather after their home was devastated. Joanne recounted to PA Real Life: "The night of the explosion, the fire, is a night I will never forget. 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." She added: "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."

In her grief, Joanne expressed, "Right now, I am existing. I feel numb, empty and just lost without Ken."

Lewis shed light on the incident, sharing that his mother Joanne and stepfather Ken had a large "reputable" lithium battery inside their flat, which ignited in Ken’s bedroom while charging and powering their outdoor hot tub.

The London Fire Brigade issued a warning that lithium batteries can be hazardous as they store significant energy and are substantially more potent than other types of batteries; therefore, if the energy is inadvertently released or the batteries undergo overheating, crushing, penetrating, or overcharging, a fire or explosion can ensue.

On the evening of October 2, a couple went to bed anticipating a peaceful night until Joanne was startled awake by "a couple of bangs" early in the hours of October 3. Mistaking it for the cats knocking something over, she was quickly corrected by a massive explosion and Ken's calls for help.

Recounting his mother's experience, Lewis vividly described: "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."

In response to the emergency, a London Ambulance Service spokesperson detailed being called at 12.51am on October 3 and dispatching several units including ambulance crews, a rapid response paramedic, Hazardous Area Response Team members, an incident officer, and London’s Air Ambulance. Metropolitan Police Service entered the scene following a call from LFB at 12.59am, evacuating the building as a measure of caution.

In addition to assisting his mother and stepfather to rebuild their lives, Lewis is keen on raising awareness about the importance of safety measures concerning lithium batteries, as underscored by the London Fire Brigade (LFB). Noting that devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters are powered by these batteries, he echoed the LFB's warning that such vehicles are increasingly becoming one of London’s fastest-growing fire risks.

Lithium batteries, which power many devices, should be charged away from living spaces like sheds or garages to reduce risk. Joanne expressed her anguish: "There are no words to describe how I feel right now, everything I knew has gone."

B&D Reside, the landlord, through a spokesperson, extended gratitude to emergency services and compassion for the victims: "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."

They also endorsed the fire brigade’s advice on lithium battery safety: "We reiterate and support the fire brigade’s advice about the precautions needed in relation to lithium batteries."