https://jalopnik.com/nine-e-bike-batteries-cause-huge-nyc-apartment-fire-1848241582
Nine E-Bike Batteries Cause Huge NYC Apartment Fire
A lithium-ion battery explosion leaves one person dead and seven others injured
By Ryan Erik King
12/19/21 10:00AM
An apartment fire in Manhattan’s East Village has again brought the safety of e-bikes under question. While a convenient method of short-range personal travel, e-bikes have proven to be a persistent danger if not meticulously maintained.
The New York City Fire Department found that a 32-year-old man was charging nine lithium-ion e-bike batteries simultaneously overnight. Then, one of the batteries exploded, starting the fire. The inferno was so intense that it blew out windows in the building. The blast also knocked a wall down inside of the apartment. The man was trapped by the blaze and lost his life.
The destroyed wall showered debris down on two teenagers sleeping in the next room. Witnesses recorded the 18-year-old woman and her 13-year-old brother as they escaped out of the fourth-floor window. They traversed the building’s exterior and then shimmied down a yellow conduit pipe to the ground.
Their 46-year-old mother, the victim’s girlfriend, couldn’t escape the apartment. Neighbors attempted to kick in their front door before the FDNY arrived but could not get inside. The fire department responded to the fire in four minutes, but the fire engulfed most of the apartment in half that time. The mother is currently in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Four other building residents suffered minor injuries.
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