A 3 - alarm clock fire in depleted Manhattan defeat four people and leave two others in decisive experimental condition in the former hours of Tuesday morning . Lithium - ion e - bike batteries are to blame , harmonise to the New York City Fire Department . The blaze , which begin in an e - motorcycle shop on the first story of a multi - story , interracial - use edifice in the Two Bridges neighborhood , ignite because of a battery , according to Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh .
“ It is very clear that this was triggered by Li - ion batteries and e - cycle , ” she said duringa crush briefing . “ There was a very large number of both batteries and e - bicycle . This location is experience to the fervency section … it is very , very authoritative we get the work out how improbably grave this is . ” While the city functionary talk noontide Tuesday , a pile of charred einsteinium - wheel and galvanic scooters sat in the background signal — heaped below the yellow awning of the burned storefront .
FDNY Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh provides an update on this morning ’s fatal fervor in Manhattanhttps://t.co/rwg4I2Ly7d
The store at 80 Madison Street was fined $1,600 in 2022 for improper storage of lithium ion batteries, but remained open and operational.Screenshot: WABC-TV / Gizmodo (AP)
— FDNY ( @FDNY)June 20 , 2023
Calls about smoke and fire at the 80 Madison Street fix came in shortly after midnight , Kavanagh noted . Though firefighters and other emergency personnel office pay back to the site speedily and were able to rescue some , the circumstances of the burn made things hard . The “ sheer volume of fire ” created by east - bike electric battery is “ incredibly dangerous ” and can make it “ nearly insufferable to get out in meter , ” for masses stuck inside a burning building , the commissioner excuse .
“ This exact scenario where there is an eastward - bike store on the first floor and residences above , with the volume of fire created by these lithium - ion batteries , is incredibly venomous , ” the FDNY official emphasized .
When Li - ion batteries hitch fervidness , it is volatile — not smoldering . Lots of flame can erupt very quickly , as demonstrated ina cautionary videothat FNDY send on Twitter Tuesday good morning . The footage show legion barrage explosion in quick sequence .
The FDNY is encourage New Yorkers w/ Li - ion powered mobility gadget to comply practice session to prevent ardour and keep you safe . Do not leave batteries load unattended or overnight when you ’re catch some Z’s . Do not use power or propagation cords to charge.https://t.co/FJM6TLqOnkpic.twitter.com/EQqjvxItds
Tuesday ’s deadly flack is far from the first such battery - concern incident in NYC . So far in 2023 , the hell was the 108th lithium - ion battery - caused fire in the city . Including the four killed today , there have been 13 fatalities related to barrage explosion this year , Kavanagh secern reporters . She noted those numbers were importantly higher than those from 2022 , by this same time . In April , one tyke and one teenagerwere killedin a disjoined e - bicycle incident in Queens .
Elsewhere , due east - motorcycle and galvanising scooter fires have also caused hurt and death . Nearly 200 injuries resulted from such combustions in the United Kingdom between 2020 and May 2023 , according toa reportfrom The Guardian . Lyft take 1,000 of its e - bikesoff San Fransisco streets after battery fires in 2019 . Hoverboards , too , havebecome known for the fervidness dangerthey pose . Nationwide , battery - power micromobility devices caught fire more than 200 time between January 2021 and November 2022 , allot toreports receivedby the Consumer Product Safety Commission .
Many factors can bestow to Li - ion devices going up in flames , let in manufacturer defects and improper charging and storage pattern . TheFDNY advisesthat people should only ever buy devices that have been safety tested ( indicated by the Underwriters Laboratories Mark ) , should closely espouse manufacturer guidances on charging and storage , keep devices at way temperature , not charge devices on soft surfaces , and keep battery away from anything flammable .
However , the resident physician live above the e - bike shop at 80 Madison Street had piddling to no say in how the batteries were being handled in their building . The e - bike shop remained undefendable and operable despite complaints and failing flack review at least two time before , accord to Dan Flynn , FDNY chief ardour marshall . In August 2022 , the store was once again found to be in infringement of the flaming code , and fined $ 1,600 . violation include wrong Es - bicycle charging practice , the sheer identification number of atomic number 99 - bikes at the premises , and issues with the building ’s electric wiring .
Asked by a newsperson why the shop class had n’t been exclude down , Flynn responded , “ there ’s a process in place . ” He also referenced forthcoming policy changes from the NYC City Council and the mayor ’s office that could improve the enforcement of battery policies .
Fire section officials encouraged New Yorkers to account have-to doe with e - wheel retailers to the city ’s 311 system . In addition , Kavanagh urged metropolis residents to ensure they know how to safely take to the woods their apartment in the event of a flame and to ascertain their grass detectors — despite having warned that early detection systems often are n’t enough in the face of barrage explosions .
ChemistryElectric batterylithiumPhysical skill
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , skill , and civilisation news in your inbox day by day .
News from the future tense , fork over to your present .
You May Also Like
