Mum-of-two dies after house fire ‘sparked by faulty e-bike battery’

A mum-of-two has died days after a fire – believed to have been sparked by an e-bike battery – tore through the family home.

Leah Wagstaff had been in intensive care along with her son Charlie, five, since the blaze on Monday, September 14.

Emergency crews were called to their house in Shepway, near Maidstone, in Kent at around 8am to find it consumed by flames.

The whole family including Leah’s partner Charlie Fuller and daughter Nellie, eight, were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Leah and her son were taken to intensive care and Charlie and Nellie spent a night in hospital but are expected to recover fully.

A family friend shared the tragic news that Leah had died in a social media post over the weekend.

Her loved ones are planning a silver and purple balloon release on September 25 to remember her.

The message read: ‘Everyone is welcome to come. There will be her favourite songs played.’

Hundreds of people have commented expressing their condolences, with one describing the news as ‘devastating’.

One mourner wrote: ‘Your kids will grow up remembering you as the hero you are.’

Before her death, a friend of the family set up a fundraiser, saying Leah’s family had ‘lost everything’ in the fire.

The GoFundMe was created to help provide the family with somewhere safe to stay, clothes, food and essential items for the children.

It has already raised more than £10,000.

At the time, the organiser of the fundraiser said: ‘Right now, this family needs all the love, support and practical help we can give them.

‘No family should have to think about replacing beds, clothing, school essentials and everyday belongings while their loved ones are in hospital.

‘We want to take away at least some of that burden and give them the chance to focus on what matters most: recovering and being together again.”

A spokesperson for the fire service said: ‘Following an investigation, it’s believed the fire was caused accidentally after an e-bike battery caught alight.’

At the height of the blaze more than a dozen fire service, police and ambulance vehicles were at the scene

You can help support the family here.

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