A dad has lost everything after his family home burned down when the gift he bought his son “went off like a grenade”. Andrew Beaton, 60, is now issuing a stark warning to those looking for electricals online after an e-bike exploded when it was left charging overnight.
He says the family, who live in Lancaster, Lancashire, were minutes from losing their lives in the fire after the house caught blaze last Christmas – but his son spotted the fire after getting up in the night for a glass of water.
He said: “An innocent purchase I bought online from a marketplace destroyed our home and left us with nothing. Like any parent I wanted to see my kids smile on Christmas day.
“The e-bike was a Christmas gift for my son, something I thought he’d love but when it was charging overnight by the stairs it went off like a grenade. Our stairs caught alight and my family were minutes from not making it out alive.”
After the fire their home was so damaged that they were forced to live elsewhere and said the memories of the blaze are still traumatising – particularly for his children. Andrew said: “My children are still affected by the fire.
“The trauma of it doesn’t leave you when you’re faced with flames in the middle of the night like we were, nobody can understand what it’s like seeing your home go up in flames until it happens to them. This Christmas I am so grateful my family are alive and safe.”
Now he wants to warn other parents about the dangers of buying electrical goods from un-reputable dealers.
He said: “If it hadn’t have been for my son getting up in the night for a glass of water and noticing the fire starting I don’t think we’d all be here today.
“I want to warn other people out there shopping online for Christmas gifts to be careful. I thought what I was buying would be safe but it was a ticking time bomb.”
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First said: “Many households have struggled in yet another year of financial pressure and are desperately seeking to keep the cost of Christmas down.”
She added: “But their scramble for air fryers and other must-have electronics this year could leave them vulnerable, with ruthless sellers on online marketplaces looking to cash in on Christmas at the expense of shoppers’ safety.”
The charity is urging shoppers to stick to reputable high street or trusted retailers in the lead up to Christmas, to ensure what they place under the tree is safe.
