Officials issue warning following pattern of fires sparked by lithium batteries
Investigators say 75 fires in the city have been caused by the batteries this year alone, killing three people.
News 12 Staff
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Oct 20, 2021, 9:32 PM
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Updated 925 days ago
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4h agoFire officials issued a warning Wednesday following a pattern of fires sparked by lithium batteries, including one Tuesday night at a restaurant in Park Slope.
News 12 is told that fire happened just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night along Fifth Avenue.
Fire officials tell News 12 this was just one of several lithium battery-related fires in the past week.
FDNY officials say the cause of that fire was the lithium-ion battery in an electric bike that was not being charged at the time.
Investigators say 75 fires in the city have been caused by the batteries this year alone, killing three people.
Those numbers are up from last year, with 44 fires reported and zero deaths.
Although no injuries were reported from Tuesday night’s fire, officials are concerned about what they’re calling an increasing problem of electric bike-related fires.
Here are a few tips recommended by fire officials on what to do if you have an electric bike that is powered by an lithium-ion battery:
- Do not leave them unattended while charging
- Do not charge them overnight
- Do not charge them by your primary means of egress
- Always have a second way out of the house
- Use them responsibly and understand that they present dangers
