An eight-year old boy died in a house fire after he alerted his siblings to danger shortly before the fire spread rapidly.
It’s been claimed Luke Albiston-O’Donnell “probably saved his siblings” after he woke his older brother up and told him his electric bike, which was on charge in the living room, was “making a noise”.
Just moments later the bike burst into flames, immersing the front room in flames and causing smoke to billow through the house, reports Liverpool Echo.
The shocking accident happened at Keele Close, on the Beechwood Estate in Birkenhead, at around 1.45am on August 4 this year.
Siblings Ethan, 20, Harry, 11, and Ava, 10, managed to flee the property through an upstairs window – but Luke remained trapped inside.
In a panic-struck 999 call, Ethan said his e-bike had “blown up”, and emergency services rushed to the scene.
Two fire crews forced entry, searching the property and discovered Luke unconcious in the downstairs bathroom.
The eight-year-old was treeated at the scene before he was transported to Arrowe Park hospital, where he sadly died at 6.25am.
His cause of death was hypoxia and carbon monoide poisoning. At his inquest today, December 5, his heartboken mum Holly Albiston, who was not home when the fire broke out, said: “He had a big smile on his face all the time. He was my little sidekick.”
The court heard that at the time of the fatal incident, Luke had been asleep downstairs after suffering a broken leg whilst playing football with his frineds three months earlier.
On the night of August 3, the other three siblings went upstairs to bed, leaving Luke on the Playstation in the living room.
A short time later, Ethan woke to Luke and his siblings alerting him that is his e-bike, which was charging in the front room close to the window, was “making a noise”.
He went downstairs to investigate, where he “saw his bike spark and then blow up”, obstructing the front door of the house.
The backdoor was locked and he and his siblings were unsure where the keys were.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue investigator Ruth Baller-Wilson said: “The house filled with smoke within seconds. Ethan returned upstairs and told the children to open the window and get out.
“The fire has quickly spread to other combustible items in the area. The fire would have been further enhanced once the living room window failed and the fire became ventilated.
“From where Luke was found, it’s clear he had gone downstairs probably to try to escape the property. It’s possible he became disorientated due to the smoke.”
An investigation found the fire had been caused by a faulty lithium battery in the electric bike, which had sparked and caused the fire which spread throughout the living room. Ms Baller-Wilson said: “I didn’t find anything to suggest anything other than a tragic accident. It’s likely that Luke saved the lives of his siblings by waking them and making them aware of the fire, and I hope Holly can take some comfort in that.”
Handing down a conclusion of accidental death, coroner Anita Bhardwaj said she would write a section 28 letter to the relevant authorities with the aim of informing the public about “the dangers of e-bikes particularly, and lithium batteries and the dangers of storing them within domestic properties”.
She said: “We need to educate the public on the dangers and the serious and tragic consequences that can occur by having these bikes within a domestic property.”
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