NYC, FDNY stepping up e-bike safety efforts after deadly Chinatown fire
NEW YORK CITY - After a deadly lithium-ion battery fire on Tuesday, New York City officials are changing their response to the city's efforts to get businesses on their radar through 3-1-1 calls to stop a troubling trend of lithium-ion battery-related fires.
Just this year, there have been at least 13 deaths and 66 injuries thanks to lithium-ion batteries. In the last few months:
- On March 5, a 5-alarm fire erupted in a Bronx supermarket and quickly spread, leaving seven people injured.
- The following week, a fire in Richmond Hill, Queens tore through the garage of King's Electric Scooters on Jamaica Avenue.
- On Tuesday, four people were killed, including a 16-year-old, in Lower Manhattan.
All the fires are threaded together by their cause – lithium-ion batteries used for e-bikes.
Now, effective immediately, firefighters are being directed to respond within 12 hours to any 3-1-1 calls about questionable activity at bike repair shops or any other locations where batteries are being charged.
Activity in businesses that warrant 3-1-1 calls includes:
- Numerous batteries being charged close together
- Mazes of extension cords being used
- The sale of batteries that appear to be refurbished
- Informal charging centers that don’t appear to be properly licensed businesses
"We're going to go door-to-door in commercial quarters with the highest concentration of e-bike businesses," said Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin Kim. "We want every business to know how to safely use, charge and store electric bikes."
Queens e-Bike shop fire believed to have been sparked by lithium-ion battery
A fire inside of a Queens e-bike shop is believed to have been sparked by a lithium-ion battery, in yet another example of fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries that have caused several deaths and dozens of injuries in New York City in the last few years.
"I think there are a lot of issues with the e-bikes and considering that they’re underneath those residential properties, it could pose a lot of threats to people living here," a resident told FOX 5 New York.
- RELATED: 4 killed, 2 critical in fire at Chinatown e-bike repair store
- RELATED: Fire at e-bike shop in Queens
- RELATED: E-bike blamed for Bronx grocery store fire that left 7 hurt
"Fires related to e-bikes are the number one cause of fire-related fatalities. This is a huge problem. We’re in a crisis," NYC Councilman Oswald Feliz said.
He and his colleagues back in March passed a series of laws to strengthen fire safety related to e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries.
NYC Council moves to take on lithium-ion battery fires
The New York City Council has passed a flurry of legislation, aimed at cracking down on refurbished and cheaply made lithium-ion batteries after a string of recent fires sparked by the batteries that officials say has become a "full-blown crisis."
Feliz's bill, which takes affect this fall, bans the sale of batteries and devices that aren't certified by accredited testing labs.
Other laws already in effect ban the sale of refurbished and modified lithium-ion batteries and require the city or companies to step up their efforts, teaching the public safe usage of e bike batteries.
The councilman acknowledges passing the laws were a good first step, but actively enforcing them, at this point, is a matter of life and death.
"We’re talking about fires that are aggressive," Oswald said.