Understand
Trio who died in e-bike fire were trapped upstairs, inquest hears
Overview
An inquest at Huntingdon Coroner's Court has heard that a woman and two children who died following a fire in Cambridge in June 2023 were trapped upstairs because a charging e-bike under the stairs compromised the main escape route. Gemma Germeney and her children Lilly and Oliver lost their lives, while the children's father, Scott Peden, survived after jumping from a window.
Key points
- Gemma Germeney and her children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four, died following a fire on Sackville Close in Cambridge in June 2023.
- Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service stated the most probable cause was a charging e-bike located under the stairs.
- The fire's location compromised the main hallway route early on, trapping the occupants on the first floor.
- The children's father, Scott Peden, survived by jumping from a window and suffered severe injuries, including multiple burns and a broken ankle.