PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Greenacres man says what was supposed to be a normal Saturday of back-to-school shopping for his son turned into one of the most frightening days of his life.
WATCH BELOW: 'The house filled up with smoke,' Carl Vereen tells WPTV's Vannia Joseph
Carl Vereen tells WPTV he was on his way home to pick up his girlfriend and child when he pulled up to fire trucks, flashing lights, and chaos outside his apartment. Inside, a fire had erupted — forcing his girlfriend, their young son, and his brother to jump from a second-story window to escape.
"When she looked out of the room, she says all she saw was the house filled up with smoke," Vereen recalled.
The fire was traced back to a lithium-ion battery charging in his e-bike near the front door. Vereen said he had replaced the bike's original charger earlier this year after it stopped working, buying what he thought was a safer option.
"This charger right here, overcharged the battery," Vereen said.
For two years, that bike had been his stress reliever — a way to clear his mind after work. Now, it's his biggest lesson.
"It just makes me feel like I messed up everything, for everybody, messed up his first day of school, his mom is hurt," Vereen said.
Vereen reached out to WPTV to share his story in hopes that no other family has to go through what his did.
Tyler Wallwork, assistant fire marshal for the city of Greenacres, said fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are becoming more common. One of the biggest risks comes from using the wrong charger.
"One of the biggest issues we find is mis-charging… the charger stops working, they get a new one online that fits the device," Wallwork explained. He recommends purchasing chargers directly from the manufacturer or an approved retailer and storing e-bikes outside or in a garage.
The fire destroyed nearly everything the family owned, leaving their apartment unlivable with water damage. A GoFundMe campaign to help them replace necessities and find a new place to live has been created, to help the family, click here.
