Shocked neighbours have described the frantic moments after a blast caused by a robotic vacuum left a man fighting for life.
Lachie Perrem, 25, staggered out of his home in Brabham, northeast of Perth, on Thursday to call for help after sustaining burns to 75 per cent of his body.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Man critically burnt in robotic vacuum explosion
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Fire trucks, an ambulance and police quickly swarmed the street.
Rylee Davies was walking into her driveway as paramedics were preparing to rush Perrem to hospital.
“It’s quite a shock and a bit of a scare, to be honest,” Davies told 7NEWS.
“It can happen anywhere, really, in anyone’s home.”
Lachie Perrem desperately called for help moments after the explosion. Credit: 7NEWS
The explosion happened when Perrem was in the kitchen of the rental he shares with his fiancee and other housemates.
Pictures of the damage inside indicate how fierce the fire was.
Perrem remains in a critical condition at Fiona Stanley Hospital, where he is preparing to spend his sixth night in the burns unit.
He is sedated and has undergone a number of operations.
Investigators are still looking into what caused the robotic vacuum to explode.
“That investigation includes taking custody of a range of products that were at the property,” WA Building Commissioner Phil Payne said.
“One of those products is a vacuum-style product.”
Lachie Perrem was critically injured when a robotic vacuum exploded. The blast also seriously damaged the rental property he shares. Credit: 7NEWS
The family has set up a GoFundMe page, with Perrem expected to be in hospital for at least two months.
“Our family has been turned upside down after my beloved son was critically injured in a tragic explosion at his home,” mum Fiona Perrem, who is expected to arrive in Perth from Queensland on Tuesday, said.
“While our focus is on helping him survive and heal, life outside the hospital doesn’t stop.
“We want to ease as much of that burden as possible so that, when he wakes and begins his recovery, he can focus entirely on getting better.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said it was a “very distressing event”.
“This man received severe burns and our thoughts are with him and his family,” Cook said.
“But we want to let that investigation take place.”
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