August 10, 2022 by Council Member Gale Brewer
“Last week, two people died and a third was seriously injured in a fire sparked by the lithium-ion battery from an e-bike in a NYCHA housing development in East Harlem.
It’s only the latest fatal fire sourced to e-bikes. According to the Fire Department, in 2021 there were 106 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, which injured 79 people and killed 4. From Jan. 1 to Aug. 1, 2022 there were 120 fires, injuring 62 people and killing two — on pace to double the number of battery-caused fires compared to 2021.
It’s past time for the FDNY, and government as a whole, to act.”
