Last night, December 3, after 7:00 pm, 28 units with 78 firefighters responded to a fire at a high-rise New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartment building at 1440 Bronx River Avenue. The fire caused by a lithium-ion battery claimed one person’s life and injured at least nine people.
According to the FDNY, the origin of the fire was on the 10th floor of the 14-story building, where firefighters found a 39-year-old man unresponsive. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later died.
An e-bike was found at the entrance of the 10th floor apartment where the fire started.
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Spike in NYC
According to the FDNY, as of November 2023, firefighters responded to more than 200 lithium-ion fires, resulting in over 120 injuries — more than last year. The FDNY has warned New Yorkers to keep lithium-ion battery-powered devices away from exits or windows, not to use batteries that lack “approved safety certifications,” avoid charging batteries overnight or when they are not present, and not to use damaged or after-market batteries.
In just three years, lithium battery fires have replaced electrical fires as the leading cause of fatal fires in New York City, surpassing blazes caused by cooking and smoking.
What’s Behind the Increased Fires from Lithium-Ion Batteries?
The reasons for the increased number of fires in New York City are manifold, according to the Institute of Energy Research (IER). This includes a lack of regulation and safety testing for individually owned devices, hazardous charging practices (such as using mismatched equipment or overcharging), and a lack of secure charging areas in a densely populated city with many residential buildings, where most fires start. E-bikes and other battery-powered devices are used by New Yorkers to get around the city and to do deliveries or in other ways to earn a living.
As a result, New York City officials, beginning in September, started banning the sale of e-bikes and other e-mobility equipment that do not fulfill established safety requirements. City and fire authorities have also advocated for increased state and federal oversight of the devices, the closure of unlawful battery charging stations, collaborating with food delivery apps to educate workers, and displaying public service messages with exploding batteries.
This latest lithium-ion battery fire reflects the dangers associated with e-bikes kept in apartment buildings.
