FDNY busts illegal lithium-ion battery making operation in Queens
QUEENS - FDNY officials busted an "extremely dangerous" illegal lithium-ion battery operation in Queens.
During an inspection on Tuesday, officials found dozens of battery packs and hundreds of lithium-ion cells used to create, alter and repair batteries inside the building. Officials said some batteries ignited and had to be extinguished during the removal process.
Wilson Scooters, located on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, was issued several violations by the FDNY, the NYC Consumer Affairs Department (DCWP), the DOB, and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said that the store was not only repairing the batteries illegally, but that the site was also manufacturing their own devices.
Non-certified and tampered lithium-ion batteries are extremely dangerous.
Thursday morning, a fire broke out at a two-story home in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
FDNY officials confirmed that the fire was caused by a lithium ion battery.
Last year alone, lithium-ion batteries caused 268 fires, injured 150 New Yorkers, and killed 18 more, according to the FDNY.
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Brooklyn fire that killed 3 family members caused by e-bike battery: FDNY
A fire at a three-story building in Brooklyn that killed three members of the same family was caused by a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike, FDNY said. 81-year-old Albertha West, her son, 58-year-old Michael West, and her grandson, 33-year-old Jamiyl West, were all pronounced dead Sunday at a hospital.
Kavanagh announced the "Take Charge" campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, a threat that officials say is increasing daily.
Last month, a dramatic video showed a lithium-ion battery exploding inside a Queens e-bike shop, sparking a fire in less than two minutes.
In response to the rise in the use of e-bikes, NYC Mayor Eric Adams says his administration is in talks with the City Council to create a department focused on regulating them; known as the Department of Sustainable Delivery.
The city has seen hundreds of fires linked to the lithium-ion batteries that power electric bikes and scooters in the last few years.
City officials have blamed off-market batteries and chargers that don’t meet safety standards for many of the fires, and they have lobbied the federal government to strengthen regulations governing the sale of e-bikes and batteries.
"It has been a very, very long time, decades, if not longer, since a new technology has come out of nowhere and become the leading cause of fire deaths in any city," said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh in November.