Man dies after faulty battery causes fire in Leicester flat

Image: Leicester Media Online

A man has died in a fire caused by a faulty battery in a scooter in Leicester.

The man was found unconscious by fire crews in a flat on Orchardson Avenue in the St Matthews area of the city at 1:15am on September 30.

The fire was reported by a neighbour who saw smoke coming from a window and called emergency services.

The man was taken to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he sadly passed away.

Following an investigation by Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service, the cause of the fire was found to be a faulty battery in a mobility scooter.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “I can confirm that the cause of the fire was accidental – failure of lithium batteries located inside a mobility scooter.”

They also confirmed that the fire caused “100% damage to the mobility scooter” and “30% to the property”.

Leicestershire fire community safety team is knocking on doors in the area this week to reassure residents and offer free fire safety advice.