Devastated family of model, 21, killed in fire caused by 'unbranded' e-bike battery calls for new safety laws

The devastated family of a young model killed in a fire caused by an "unbranded" e-bike battery is calling for new laws following an inquest into her death. Sofia Duarte, 21, died on New Year's Day last year when a blaze caused by a lithium-ion battery pack ripped through the flats in Bermondsey, south east London, where her boyfriend lived.

Sofia's boyfriend and four other occupants managed to escape, but the inquest heard that Sofia died at the scene. Her family is now calling on the UK Government to impose restrictions on where e-bikes are stored - claiming Sofia might still be alive today if the bike hadn't been charging at the entrance and only exit to the flats.

The inquest into the Portuguese-born model's death heard two bikes - a manufactured e-bike and a converted 'retro-fitted' push bike with a battery pack - were found on the ground floor of the flats. The fire was said to have been caused by an unbranded battery pack fitted to the converted bike that was also on charge at the time of the fire.

Officials from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) spoke of "significant risks" associated with buying unregulated battery packs online, which are often paired with separately bought chargers that are not compatible.

Ms Duarte's family, present at the inquest held at London's Inner South Coroner's Court, spoke passionately about the need for stricter regulations on the purchasing and storing of e-bikes, saying their loved one's death could have been prevented.

The inquest heard Ms Duarte and her boyfriend had both finished shifts behind the bar of a nightclub on New Year's Eve and travelled back to the latter's flat. They were both in bed when other residents heard a loud explosion in the flats at around ten to five in the afternoon.

By the time Ms Duarte's boyfriend had awoken and looked outside his bedroom door, the hallway was filled with black smoke. He quickly jumped from his bedroom window onto the roof of a shop below, encouraging his partner to follow him.

But it's believed Ms Duarte, who would now be 23, instead tried to escape out the entrance and was found dead on the hallway landing of the second floor of the building.

Assistant Coroner Xavier Mooyaart, reading from the report of LFB Officer Stephen Elliott, explained that the fire had begun on the ground floor, where two e-bikes had been leaning against a wall.

“The cause of the fire was attributed to battery failure from a retrofitted e-bike," the report read. "The melting of the battery enclosure shows the batteries had been in a high state of charge.

“This fire appeared to have started due to the internal failure of the lithium-ion cells in the battery pack. [Sofia's] boyfriend jumped out of the bottom window and encouraged her to do the same - but she tried to get out another way.

"Two e-bikes were originally located on the ground floor hallway and reported to be leaned against a wall. One of these bikes was manufactured, the other was retrofitted."

LFB recently warned, after another flat fire in Whitechapel, east London, that the frequency of e-bike-related fires has rocketed in recent years, with the service responding to 155 such incidents last year alone - up 78 per cent on 2022.

Mr Elliott said risks were exacerbated by the fact that some chargers were shared by e-bike owners that 'may not be compatible' with every battery. "All such batteries should be regarded as posing a significant risk to safety," he said.

Mr Elliott concluded that the battery pack was the source of the fire, but added it was not possible to say the exact reason the pack had caught fire -such as it not being compatible with the charger used - as it was 'unbranded'. Mr Mooyaart recorded a conclusion of accidental death, adding there was 'insufficient evidence' of what caused the battery to catch fire to prepare a Prevention of Future Deaths Report (PFDR) about the battery.

He said: "This happy young woman was killed in a house fire she had no role in. [The fire] arose from a battery pack of a retrofitted e-bike that was on charge in the entrance hallway [to the flats]. She was unable to escape. A battery fire caused her death but we don't know whether it was being incorrectly charged, or whether the cells malfunctioned...In this inquest, the evidence is insufficient to write a PFDR."

However, Alda Simoes, a close family friend of Ms Duarte who helped the girl's grieving mother, Maria Frasquilho Macarro, in translating the inquest, made an impassioned plea for Mr Mooyaart to consider instead writing a PFDR encouraging MPs to consider changing the laws on where e-bikes are kept.

The 46-year-old said: "One of the things we are asking is for the government to change where people charge their bikes. It was the only exit of the house. There was no way to escape. That, for me, should be presented to the government as a preventable death. The Government should bring some rules in for storage...then Sofia could have survived.

"There are more cases like this, of people trapped inside. This is a public safety matter, not a political matter. We can't do it on our own... People like you can take it further."

After hearing Ms Simoes' heartfelt plea, Mr Mooyaart said he would reconsider the evidence and make a decision on whether a report is necessary. Ms Duarte's family previously launched a campaign hosted by Change.org, which has amassed more than 40,000 signatures. The petition concludes: "If measures are not taken, the number of deaths will increase and I am sure nobody wants this."