25-Year-Old Critically Injured After Robot Vacuum Explosion

A 25-year-old Australian man is fighting for his life after a robot vacuum caught fire inside his home, leaving him with burns across roughly 75% of his body.

Lachie Perrem, from Perth, remains sedated in the hospital after an explosion and fire tore through the property he shared with his fiancée and housemates, according to a GoFundMe launched by his mother, Fiona Perrem.

The fire broke out at the home in the Perth suburb of Brabham on Thursday, July 2, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed.

Emergency crews received a call at around 5 p.m. local time reporting a kitchen fire. Four fire trucks responded, and firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze by 7:15 p.m.

Investigators later determined that the fire was accidental and was caused by a fault in a robotic vacuum cleaner.

The incident left Lachie critically injured and turned his family’s life “upside down,” his mother said.

Fiona created the fundraiser to help ease the growing financial burden and support her son through what is expected to be an extremely long and difficult recovery.

She said approximately 75% of Lachie’s body was burned and that he remains under sedation while receiving treatment.

“He is facing an incredibly long road ahead, with multiple surgeries, extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and months of recovery,” Fiona wrote.

The fire also left Lachie, his fiancée, Bri Thompson, and their housemates without a home.

Bri told 7News that the days since the explosion had been “completely unimaginable.”

“Our entire life has changed in a matter of moments and everything has been incredibly intense and overwhelming,” she said.

Fiona is currently in Queensland but reportedly plans to travel approximately 2,363 miles to Perth to be with her son.

“Along with his long road to recovery, they now face the heartbreaking task of rebuilding their lives from scratch,” Fiona wrote on the fundraising page.

She said donations would be used to help cover housing, living expenses and other essential costs while Lachie undergoes treatment.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and prayers,” she continued. “Every message of support gives our family strength during the hardest time of our lives.”

The fundraiser had collected 22,429 Australian dollars, or approximately $15,575 in U.S. currency, at the time of writing.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the robotic vacuum had been sent to the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety for further examination.

Authorities said there had been four fires involving vacuum cleaners over the past two years. Investigators have not yet determined whether this blaze was caused by a fault in the vacuum’s lithium-ion battery or its electronic components.

The brand of the robot vacuum has not been publicly disclosed.