 A surprise present for a friend went horribly wrong after a gifted e-bike burst into flames and destroyed his home. David Bird, 50, took his three sons away on holiday last month and asked his best friend, Dan Angus, 42, to house sit and look after his kittens while they were away. Dan had bought David an e-bike to help with his mobility problems – but it caught fire while it was being charged. David raced home early but was devastated to find most of his belongings were destroyed – but he insists he doesn't blame Dan for what happened. David said: 'Because I broke my back when I was knocked off my bike in 2009 and now suffer from mobility problems, Dan had bought me an electric bike as a surprise – bless him. 'He's put it on charge and been sat watching the UFC in the living room when BANG, he's heard an explosion. 'He tried to put the fire out with a tea towel, but it just spread so quickly. 'So, yeah, what was supposed to be a nice surprise was actually horrendous. The e-bike caught fire while it was charging (Picture: David Bird/GoFundMe) There was significant fire damage both up and downstairs (Picture: David Bird/GoFundMe) The fire caused thousands of pounds of damage (Picture: David Bird/GoFundMe) 'I can't put it into words. I was absolutely shattered. 'Dan just sobbed his heart out on the phone. He was feeling really guilty and saying he was so sorry. 'I said 'No, it's not your fault'. I did not even know that could happen.' David took his three sons away for a 'nice and quiet' weekend in Wales on June 23, but a day into their trip at a caravan park in Gwynedd, he received a panicked phone call from Dan, in tears, saying his house was on fire and he needed to come home immediately. David, from Coton Fields, Stafford, raced home, but by then most of his belongings were destroyed – including 'precious keepsakes' in memory of his late father and beloved da){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A surprise present for a friend went horribly wrong after a gifted e-bike burst into flames and destroyed his home.
David Bird, 50, took his three sons away on holiday last month and asked his best friend, Dan Angus, 42, to house sit and look after his kittens while they were away.
Dan had bought David an e-bike to help with his mobility problems – but it caught fire while it was being charged.
David raced home early but was devastated to find most of his belongings were destroyed – but he insists he doesn’t blame Dan for what happened.