SPENCER PLATT / Getty Images via AFP NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: Charred remains of e-bikes and scooters sit outside of a building in Chinatown after four people were killed by a fire in an e-bike repair shop overnight on June 20, 2023 in New York City. Lithium-ion e-bike batteries have caused numerous fires and fatalities in recent years due to the rising popularity of e-bikes for delivery purposes. New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has taken strong measures against unregulated e-bike and e-scooter batteries, which often present the highest risk when improperly charged. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
SPENCER PLATT / Getty Images via AFP
The charred remains of e-bikes and scooters outside a building in Chinatown, New York, on the night of June 20-21, 2023.
UNITED STATES – It is a drama that is being repeated more and more in New York. A fire caused by lithium batteries for electric bicycles caused the death of four people in the district of Chinatown on Tuesday June 20.
The fire broke out overnight in a small electric bicycle and scooter maintenance shop on the ground floor of a building, at the foot of which an impressive pile of blackened two-wheelers was strewn on Tuesday, according to a photo posted by the New York Fire Department on their official Twitter account.
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During a press briefing on the spot, in the district of Chinatown in Manhattan, the fire chief of the city, Laura Kavanagh, communicated a balance sheet of four dead and two seriously injured.
“It is quite clear that this was caused by lithium-ion batteries and electric bicycles”she added, adding that the store had already been pinned for violations of safety rules.
108th fire of this type since the beginning of the year in New York
It is the 108th such fire since the start of the year in New York, with a total death toll of 66 and 13 dead, including Tuesday’s victims, firefighters said.
In April, a 19-year-old woman and her 7-year-old brother were killed in a similar fire in the borough of Queens. These fires have multiplied (44 in 2020, 104 in 2021, 220 in 2022) against the backdrop of the development of electric bicycles and scooters used by New Yorkers, as well as home or office meal deliverers, an omnipresent sector in the American megalopolis.
After Tuesday’s fire in Chinatown, New York firefighters again sounded the alarm about these accidents which are skyrocketing with the development of the home delivery sector.
Fires can usually be caused by poor quality batteries, their age, or the crowded conditions in which they are charged. When they explode “there is so much fire that it is often too late”explained the fire chief.
“The FDNY urges New Yorkers to be careful when using devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. Do not leave charging batteries unattended or overnight while sleeping. Leave them in hallways, doorways or exits. Do not use power cords or extension cords to charge”recalled the New York firefighters on Twitter.
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2023-06-21 07:54:18
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