Woman says e-bike battery sparked fire that destroyed Troutdale home

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A Troutdale woman says an e-bike battery sparked a fire that destroyed her home Thursday night, displacing her family and a couple who lived with them.

“That fire came at me so fast, so hot, and my house was up in flames in a blink. It was seconds, not even a minute my house was in flames,” said homeowner Kari Ann Peniche.

Peniche said the fire started with the battery from an e-bike she gave her 15-year-old son, Preston, for Christmas. She said the fire spread in seconds.

“I never even knew a battery can do something like this, no idea,” Peniche said. “The manual even says to charge and store inside to charge it inside, it doesn’t say to store it outside and charge it, and it wasn’t even charging when this happened it was just sitting there.”

Peniche and her children shared the home with Kelli Gasaway and her partner. Gasaway said Peniche came to get them out, and she doesn’t know what could have happened if she hadn’t.

“In my mind it was equivalent to someone launching a hand grenade into your front room,” said Gasaway.

Everyone escaped, but they lost nearly everything. Gasaway said the hardest loss was her cat, Pax, who didn’t make it out.

“I could have burned my stuff myself five times over if it would have meant not losing my cat,” Gasaway said.

For Peniche, the loss is devastating, but she’s grateful her family made it out together.

“I was just glad everyone was out of the house, all I was thinking was, you know, you start running through all the things that are important to you but then you start looking around and go well everyone is safe and that’s all that matters,” Peniche said.

Fundraisers have been started to help Peniche and her children, as well as Gasaway and her partner, as they work to get back on their feet. To learn more, go here and here.