One person was killed and six others were injured when a fire blamed on an electric bicycle battery tore through a New York City apartment, officials said Monday.
The fire started at around 7 p.m. Sunday in a 10th-floor apartment in a public housing complex in the Bronx, a Fire Department spokesperson said.
One person was taken to a hospital with critical injuries and later died, the spokesperson said. Two others suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and four others suffered minor injuries, he said.
Fire marshals determined that the fire was caused by an e-bike's lithium ion battery, department officials said.
The fire department posted a warning about lithium ion devices Monday, saying they have caused fires that have killed 18 people this year.
So far this year, 18 people have been killed by fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. These fires are dangerous and fast-moving. Just last month, the @FSRI_org produced a powerful video demonstrating why it is so difficult to escape from a fire started by a lithium-ion battery. pic.twitter.com/3tgQXULLcy
— FDNY (@FDNY) December 4, 2023
The fatal fire happened three weeks after a fire blamed on a lithium ion battery killed three members of a Brooklyn family.
New York City has seen hundreds of fires linked to the batteries that power electric bikes and scooters in recent years. City officials have blamed off-market batteries and chargers for many of the fires and they have lobbied the federal government to strengthen regulations governing the sale of e-bikes and batteries.
The New York City Fire Department now has listed on its website safety tips for handling devices with lithium ion batteries, including where to charge them and how to store batteries. You can read the full list here.
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