A video posted by the FDNY shockingly reveals how a lithium-ion battery that was being charged at an electric bike shop in Queens this month caused a violent fire.
The video, taken from the King Electronic Hub in Richmond Hill, shows a charging lithium-ion battery surrounded by scooters and boxes emitting dark gray smoke, followed by sparks. Posted clip At FDNY's X.
“It took only two and a half minutes for this exploded lithium-ion battery to completely engulf this e-bike shop in flames,” warns the text accompanying the video.
“When we say illegal lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous, we mean it,” the caption reads.
Miraculously, no one was injured in the two-alarm fire on January 6th. FDNY stated.
In the first two weeks of 2024, there were eight fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the Big Apple, injuring three people. In 2023, there were 267 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, killing 18 people and injuring 150.
A horrific lithium-ion battery-related fire in Crown Heights, Brooklyn in November killed three members of a three-generation family and injured 14 others.
“These illegal and uncertified devices are a ticking time bomb,” Fire Marshal Laura Kavanaugh said after the November tragedy.
