What you should know
- In an updated patient count, New York City firefighters said Sunday that a total of 43 civilians, firefighters and police officers were injured in the previous day’s fire in Manhattan.
- Officials are investigating whether the 37-story condominium had a fire alarm, whether any doors were left open, and other questions.
- The authorities have identified that the cause of the fire originated from a lithium battery connected to a “micro-mobility” device, a term that can refer to electric bicycles and / or scooter electric.
NEW YORK – Authorities are investigating the events behind a fire in a Manhattan building who injured more than three dozen people on Saturday and was charged with a faulty lithium-ion battery. This is the most recent incident related to battery problems.
The Red Cross said on Sunday it had provided temporary shelter and some emergency money to two people displaced by the fire that triggered a dramatic and rare 20-story rope rescue above the 52 ° east Street from Manhattan, a few blocks from the United Nations headquarters.
“They witnessed a lifeline rescue. This is the FDNY’s last resort,” Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb said Saturday. The video circulating on social media captured the heartbreaking rescue.
In an updated patient count, firefighters confirmed Sunday that a total of 43 civilians, firefighters and police officers were injured.
Two civilians were taken to hospital in critical condition and two in serious condition. On Sunday a message was sent to the hospital asking for an update on his condition. All other injuries were described as minor.
Authorities are investigating whether the 37-story condominium had a fire alarm, whether any doors were left open, and other questions. Officials said the cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery failure related to a “micromobility” device, a term for electric bicycles. scooter electrical items and others that help people move.
Fire Chief Daniel Flynn said there were at least five bicycles in the apartment where the fire broke out. Investigators believe an occupant repaired the bike, Flynn said.
Across the city, nearly 200 fires and six fire deaths this year have been connected to batteries for “micromobility” devices, marking an “exponential increase” in such fires in recent years, Flynn said at a news conference.
Among the victims of the latest fires are: an 8-year-old girl who died when an electric scooter battery ignited a fire in Queens in September, and a 5-year-old woman and 5-year-old girl who died in a fire in Harlem in August. to a scooter battery.
Firefighters have repeatedly urged users of such batteries to follow the manufacturer’s charging and storage instructions, use only the manufacturer’s cord and power supply, discontinue use of the battery if it overheats, and follow other safety guidelines .
“We will be out in this community and communities across the city in the days and weeks to come, distributing fire safety information, distributing smoke alarms,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at a news conference Saturday.
“But we also want to highlight the growing cause of electric bicycle fires and make sure families make sure they follow the safest way possible to use them, including not charging them overnight when they sleep, also making sure they are certified and that the batteries they they are using are not damaged in any way.
