Kingsford Public Safety (KPS) responded at 11:21 p.m. to a fire in a two-story house, with one person believed trapped inside, at 109 Balsam St. after a report of an explosion, according to a KPS news release.

Two other occupants of the home were able to escape.

The person inside later was pronounced dead on site, KPS stated in the release, adding that several pets perished in the fire as well.

KPS withheld all names and additional details pending completion of the investigation, which will be done with assistance from the Michigan State Police Fire Marshal, KPS said.

Firefighters and various agencies responded to a fatal house fire in Kingsford, reportedly caused by an electric bike. (Terri Castelaz | Iron Mountain Daily News)

KPS was assisted by Dickinson County Sheriff Department and Dispatch, Iron Mountain Fire Department, Integrity Care Ambulance, Iron Mountain Police Department, WE Energies and DTE Energy.

A GoFundMe page set up after the fire states the person killed in the fire was “a mother, sister, and a friend.” It calls for money and non-monetary donations of clothing, living arrangements and everyday needs, such as toiletries.

As of Wednesday afternoon, it had already drawn $5,270, exceeding the original $4,000 goal. The GoFundMe is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ydvsc-kelsey039s-medical-expenses.

Electric bike fires usually are caused by the lithium-ion batteries used as the power source, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Those batteries can catch fire or explode, and they burn extremely hot, experts said.

A Consumer Reports article published Dec. 8, 2022, indicated New York City had 104 fires from electric bicycles/scooters in 2021, with four deaths; and 202 such fires through early December 2022, with 142 injuries and six deaths.

According to an article by The Guardian, the United Kingdom had a record-high number of e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025. Fire brigade figures obtained by the Press Association show there were at least 432 ebike fires recorded across the U.K. in 2025, up 38% from 313 the previous year and more than five times higher than the 84 recorded in 2021, The Guardian article states. There were at least 147 e-scooter fires in 2025, a 20% jump on the 123 in 2024. The figures come from freedom of information requests sent to the U.K.’s 49 fire brigades, of which 37 responded, according to The Guardian.