Family believes house fire was caused by electrical products purchased on eBay

The Firth family had to escape their burning house in Stratford, East London in the middle of the night.

The blaze destroyed their home, all their belongings and killed their two cats.

They have been staying in a friend’s flat since the event.

Photographer, Andrew Firth believes that the fire may have been caused as the result of the use of a power charger, bought on eBay and delivered that day.

The family have instructed Leigh Day to investigate the cause of the fire with a view to finding out if they have any legal recourse.

The power charger arrived by post 18 September, 2020 and Andrew plugged it in before the family went to bed late that same evening.

Later that night he was woken by the smoke alarm and he saw flickering under the desk where the charger was plugged in.

The fire quickly spread and the family, who include two children aged 14 and 11, say they were lucky to escape unhurt.

The family home insurance had lapsed, meaning they have lost everything, and have been staying with a friend since the event.

Andrew Firth, and his wife Teila said:

“Our lives have been changed forever by the fire. We are so very thankful for the kindness and support we’ve received. We are immensely grateful through the efforts of Leigh Day, and their forensic experts, that this investigation can take place; we are very hopeful it will result in accountability for those responsible.”

Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis, said:

“It is really devastating to see a family lose their home and everything in it in a fire. We are hoping that we will be able to find a remedy and get this family back up on their feet as soon as possible.
“Pressure is increasing on online marketplaces to take responsibility for all products for which they provide an online shop window.”

The fire is thought to have been caused by a Godox battery charger which was plugged into a Godox PB960 power pack.