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 1. News
 2. Did NYC Fire Department Properly Scrutinize E-Bike Store Recently Torched By
    Fatal Battery Fire?


DID NYC FIRE DEPARTMENT PROPERLY SCRUTINIZE E-BIKE STORE RECENTLY TORCHED BY
FATAL BATTERY FIRE?

Fire inspectors failed to check whether the store had or was selling
reconditioned batteries as required by Local Law 42 during an inspection on May
9, 2023.

By Taneika Duhaney
Save Article

Spencer Platt//Getty Images

Yesterday, an early morning 3-alarm fire in the Chinatown section of Manhattan
that left four people dead, two in intensive care units, and displaced 25
children and adults was caused by lithium-ion batteries after the New York City
Fire Department failed to follow a recently passed e-bike battery check law.

The blaze started in the HQ E-Bike Repair shop around 12:15 a.m. A passerby
alerted a deli store owner who called 911. The deli shop owner told the New York
Times that he saw “a circle of flames” inside the e-bike store.

RELATED STORY

 * Fire at E-Bike Shop in NYC Kills 4

Incidents like the HQ E-Bike Repair shop fire that left four people dead have
become all too common in NYC. To think, e-bikes were illegal in NYC until 2020.

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Since then the number of e-bikes and the batteries required to power them have
surged. As e-bike popularity grows, so does the number of lithium-battery fires
and deaths caused by these fires. In 2022, 219 lithium-ion battery fires caused
almost 150 injuries and killed a half dozen people.

“They are not just regular fires, they are basically explosions and they spread
so rapidly, and it’s more than just water to take them out,” said New York City
Mayor Eric Adams according to ABC News.


RELATED STORY

 * How to Safely Use E-Bike Batteries


WHAT’S CAUSING THESE FIRES?

Many of the batteries used to power e-bikes and other micro-mobility devices
like scooters don’t meet industry safety standards set by Underwriters
Laboratory. Reconditioned or second-use batteries that have been “modified by
installing powerful cells inside old batteries that have deteriorated due to
wear and tear, are particularly dangerous,” stated fire experts according to The
City.


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WHY DOES THIS BIKE SHOP MATTER?

This March 20, Mayor Adams signed a bill, Local Law 42, which among other things
prohibits “the assembly or reconditioning of lithium-ion batteries using cells
removed from used storage batteries and prohibit the sale of lithium-ion
batteries that use cells removed from used storage batteries.” The NYFD is
responsible for enforcing this law.

Last August, HQ E-Bike Repair shop was cited for using “extension cords to
charge the bikes, failing to keep the charging batteries at least three feet
apart, and failing to install a required firewall between the bikes and the rest
of the premises.” The shop's owner was fined $1,600 according to The City.

On May 9, FDNY reinspected the store and found many batteries (none were being
charged) according to the Associated Press. Inspectors failed to check whether
the store had or was selling reconditioned batteries as required by Local Law
42. FDNY noted no violations on this visit.

RELATED STORY

 * 6 Tips for Riding E-Bikes Safely


WAS THIS FIRE CAUSED BY A LITHIUM-ION BATTERY?

The Chinatown fire marks the 13th lithium-ion battery-related fatality in 2023,
more than twice the number of deaths in 2022. Fire officials don’t know the
exact cause or whether shoddy batteries are responsible for the fire, however,
they are sure of the source.

“It is very clear this was caused by lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes,” said
NYFD Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

Earlier this year Councilmember Gale Brewer, sponsor of the reconditioned
battery ban, stated Kavanagh assured her that the new law was having a positive
effect according to Patch. This begs to question, what does that positive effect
look like?


RELATED STORY

 * Keep Your E-bike Batteries Safe and Prevent Fires

Taneika Duhaney

Taneika is a Jamaica native, a runner and a gravel cyclist who resides in
Virginia. Passionate about cycling, she aims to get more people, of all
abilities, to ride the less beaten path. 









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