Lachie Perrem, a man in his 20s, is fighting for his life after a robot vacuum cleaner explosion destroyed his share house in Brabham, Perth, on Thursday 2 July. He sustained life-threatening burns and remains in critical condition at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Explosion Details
The fire broke out in the kitchen of Perrem's home at 5pm. Four fire trucks attended, and the blaze was fully extinguished more than two hours later. Investigators from the state department of fire and emergency services determined the fire was an accident caused by a fault in a robotic vacuum cleaner. It was the first reported case of a robotic vacuum cleaner fire, though there have been four fires involving standard vacuum cleaners in the past two years.
The device has been sent to the state's building and energy office for further investigation. It is not clear whether the fault was in the vacuum's electrics or its lithium-ion battery. One other woman required hospital treatment.
Medical Condition and Family Response
Perrem's mother, Fiona, said on a GoFundMe page that he had suffered burns across about 75% of his body and was sedated. “He is facing an incredibly long road ahead, with multiple surgeries, extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and months of recovery,” she said.
Perrem's fiancee, Bri Thompson, posted on social media that he was “fighting the biggest battle of his life” and that she and her housemates had lost their home. “Our entire life has changed in a matter of moments,” Thompson said. “Lachie is genuinely the most giving person there is. Anyone who knows him knows he would give absolutely anything to help someone else.”
Impact and Fundraising
Perrem's social media project, “The Tradie Vault”, which promoted mental health awareness through work site visits and tool giveaways, will be paused while he recovers. Perrem is a trained telecommunications technician.
His mother launched a GoFundMe on Saturday to cover the costs of his recovery, rehabilitation, and essential living expenses, including car repayments and housing costs for his displaced fiancee and housemates. By Tuesday evening, the fundraiser had surpassed $26,000.
