A former Playboy model’s Oregon home burst into flames last week after an e-bike battery suddenly caught fire and exploded.
Kari Ann Peniche posted videos on Instagram showing the moment fire took hold of her five-bedroom family home in Troutdale, Oregon. “Thursday night our lives changed in a matter of seconds,” she said.
The family first noticed a bad smell emanating from their living room late at night on Nov. 5, but Peniche said she initially brushed it off.
“At first I thought maybe a neighbor was cooking broccoli or that our cat had brought a dead animal into the house,” she wrote on Instagram.
Her son began looking around to find the source of the odor. That’s when his friend noticed his e-bike battery had started smoking.
“Within moments the battery began exploding and in a matter of seconds our home was engulfed in flames,” the “𝘴єx Rehab with Dr. Drew” alum added. “I can’t even begin to explain how terrifying it was and how quickly everything happened.”
There was no opportunity to save any belongings. “No time to think. Just enough time to get everyone out,” the 42-year-old “Grilled” actress added.
The 2002 Miss Oregon Teen USA said her family and pets made it out safely, but the family lost everything they had built over the years.
“We lost everything. Our home, everything we own, our clothes, photos, art, electronics and irreplaceable things that held a lifetime of memories. Things that no amount of money could ever replace,” Peniche said.
She said it is heartbreaking to even think about the loss, but she has “never felt so incredibly grateful” because the what-ifs weigh on her mind and haunt her with all the other possibilities of how differently it could have turned out.
“I keep thinking what if we had already been asleep? What if nobody had noticed the smell? It’s a terrifying thought,” the Playboy model said.
Now, she is sharing her experience and warning others about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.
“I had absolutely no idea a battery could cause this much destruction in such a short amount of time … Please be careful with e-bikes, scooters and anything powered by rechargeable lithium batteries.”
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