E-Bike Batteries Sparked Lower Manhattan Fire That Killed 4: FDNY

NEW YORK CITY — A deadly Lower Manhattan blaze that claimed the lives of four people and left two others critically hurt was sparked by faulty e-bike batteries, officials said.

Charred bicycles were piled outside the 80 Madison St. building, near Catherine Street, where a fire began about 12:15 a.m.

The fire spread from an e-bike shop on the first floor that had received years of summonses related to its charges, said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and other officials

“It is very clear that this was caused by the lithium ion batteries and e-bikes,” Kavanagh said.

Firefighters arrived to find a “heavy fire” spreading through the building, where apartments were above the e-bike shop, officials said.

The fire left two men and two women dead, the New York Times first reported. Two women remain hospitalized in critical condition. One firefighter also suffered minor injuries, FDNY officials said.

The Red Cross provided help to eight households consisting of 23 adults and two children, the aid group tweeted.

Fire officials quickly zeroed in on lithium ion batteries, which are used in e-bikes, as the blaze’s cause. The city has banned bootleg versions of those batteries that fire officials argue are behind many fires.

Kavanagh said words can’t fully describe the fires and pointed New Yorkers to FDNY videos depicting the explosive blazes.

“The sheer volume of fire is incredibly dangerous,” she said.

“It really is an explosion more than a smoldering fire as you would think.”

The FDNY is encouraging New Yorkers w/ lithium-ion powered mobility devices to follow practices to prevent fires and keep you safe. Do not leave batteries charging unattended or overnight when you’re sleeping. Do not use power or extension cords to charge. https://t.co/FJM6TLqOnk pic.twitter.com/EQqjvxItds
— FDNY (@FDNY) June 20, 2023

FDNY inspectors in August 2022 had issues summonses at the bike shop for violations related to e-bike charging, the number of devices charges and electrical wiring, said Dan Flynn, the FDNY’s chief fire marshall.

The bike shop’s proprietors were found guilty, Flynn said. They also faced violations in 2021, he said. New York City has seen 76 fires this year alone sparked by lithium ion batteries, tweeted Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

“We have to accelerate our efforts to protect against this threat,” he wrote.