Manslaughter arrest over Blackpool e-scooter battery fire death - BBC News

2022-07-23 16:44:58 By : Ms. ada Guo

A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over a fatal house fire which police believe was caused by an e-scooter battery.

Rebecca Downes, 44, died in the blaze on the top floor of a house on Hill Street in Blackpool, on 6 July.

Lancashire Police said four others were injured, including a man in his 50s, who remains in a serious condition.

A man was held on suspicion of manslaughter on Thursday and remained in police custody.

A force spokesman said the injured man had been transferred from Blackpool Victoria Hospital to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester for further treatment.

The three other people, aged 13, 16 and 26, were also taken to hospital with "less serious injuries" and had since been discharged, he said.

He added that a joint investigation between the force and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) was under way and investigators now believed "the most likely cause [of the fire] was a battery on an e-scooter".

LFRS area manager Mark Hutton said fires involving lithium-ion batteries were "becoming more common and tend to start and grow very quickly".

"E-bikes and e-scooters should only be purchased from reputable retailers and should always be used in accordance with manufacturer's instructions," he said.

He added that people should only ever charge batteries while awake "using the charger supplied" and do so in a place that is "well away" from escape routes.

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