At least 38 people were injured in a fire Saturday in New York that may have been caused by a lithium-ion battery like those in scooters, city officials told US media.
Two people are in critical condition and five others were seriously injured in the fire at an apartment building on East 52nd Street in Manhattan, CNN television reported, citing New York Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.
City fire chief Dan Flynn assured him that it was the nearly 200th fire caused this year by the lithium-ion battery of a small electric mobility device (electric bicycle, scooter, scooter, skateboard, etc.). etc.).
“We have had six deaths this year alone from these batteries that power micromobility devices,” he told CNN.
Authorities believe the fire may have broken out from an apartment where its occupant was repairing bicycles, Flynn added.
