BEYOND CARS

Nine E-Bike Batteries Cause Huge NYC Apartment Fire

A lithium-ion battery explosion leaves one person dead and seven others injured

By Ryan Erik King
Yesterday 10:00AM

An apartment fire in Manhattan’s East Village has again brought the safety of e-bikes under question. While a convenient method of short-range personal travel, e-bikes have proven to be a persistent danger if not meticulously maintained.

The New York City Fire Department found that a 32-year-old man was charging nine lithium-ion e-bike batteries simultaneously overnight. Then, one of the batteries exploded, starting the fire. The inferno was so intense that it blew out windows in the building. The blast also knocked a wall down inside of the apartment. The man was trapped by the blaze and lost his life.

The destroyed wall showered debris down on two teenagers sleeping in the next room. Witnesses recorded the 18-year-old woman and her 13-year-old brother as they escaped out of the fourth-floor window. They traversed the building’s exterior and then shimmied down a yellow conduit pipe to the ground.

WATCH: Dramatic video of teens escaping apartment fire on Avenue D in East Village. NYC fire officials say a 13y/o boy and 18y/o female shimmy down a construction conduit down the side of a building
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A neighbor told the New York Daily News that the victim repaired e-bikes. The FDNY found seven e-bikes in the apartment. FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, “Last year we had 44 fires and no deaths, this year we have had 93 fires, more than 70 injuries and now four deaths caused by lithium-ion battery fires.”

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