Overview
- A smoking removable battery from an e‑bike reportedly exploded in the family’s living room and the blaze rapidly engulfed the five‑bedroom Troutdale house on Thursday night, Nov. 5.
- Kari Ann Peniche, her family and most pets escaped but say they lost nearly all their belongings and the house was destroyed.
- Local fire crews, including Gresham Fire and Rescue, responded and confirmed the fire spread quickly after the battery failure.
- Peniche posted security‑camera and phone videos on Instagram documenting the smoke and flames and has used the footage to warn others about rechargeable battery risks.
- Experts cited in coverage explain thermal runaway as a process in damaged or degraded lithium‑ion cells that can cause violent heating, toxic smoke and explosions, and the case highlights safety concerns for e‑bikes, scooters and other devices that use such batteries while officials have not yet released a formal investigation report.