Fire marshals confirmed the cause of the 4-alarm fire which broke out at 2230 Grand Concourse on Sunday, Jan. 9.

 

As reported, the fire took place in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on the same day as the separate Twin Parks fire tragedy, among some other fires which also occurred in the borough on the same day.

 

If using a lithium battery, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and storage. Always use the manufacturer’s cord and power adapter made specifically for the device. If a battery overheats, discontinue use immediately. See more at https://t.co/NpwdRdlElY #FDNYSmart pic.twitter.com/jPkzewBgLb

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 30, 2022

 

The fire at 2230 Grand Concourse occurred at 2.24 a.m. when all hands were asked by the fire department to respond to the blaze which broke out in a multiple dwelling. The fire was brought under control at around 5.12 a.m. the same morning. The FDNY confirmed that fire marshals said the cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike/e-scooter.

 

Dirt Bikes & Scooters 

Dirt bikes are illegal in New York City. Also, if your scooter has an electric or gas motor with no vehicle ID number, then it is illegal and cannot be operated or sold. Violators could face fines and vehicles will be seized by police. 

 

 

NYC DOT has provided information to New Yorkers on riding E-bikes in New York City.  Click here to learn more about riding an e-bike and other micromobility options in NYC.

 

 

According to https://sciencing.com, lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable, whereas lithium batteries are not. The attached tweet from the FDNY, further above, gives more context on how to avoid such fires.

 

In early May, the FDNY announced that fire marshals said a 3-alarm fire which occurred the same day at 5401 7th Avenue in Brooklyn was also caused by lithium-ion batteries from e-bikes/scooters.

 

An earlier post from the FDNY read, “In the last 24 hours, FDNY Fire Marshals have determined that there were 4 accidental electrical fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in electric scooters/E-Bikes. At these four fires, a total of 12 people were injured. To date this year, there have been more than 40 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in electric scooters/E-Bikes, resulting in 20 injuries. The latest fires occurred at the following locations:

– 374 East 9th Street in Brooklyn
– 286 Fort Washington Avenue in Manhattan
– East 125th Street/Park Avenue in Manhattan
– 213 West 23rd Street in Manhattan

 

“Be #FDNYSmart. If using a lithium battery, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and storage,” fire officials wrote on social media. “Always use the manufacturer’s cord and power adapter made specifically for the device. If a battery overheats, discontinue use immediately. Learn more at fdnysmart.org.”

 

User, dfw333, commented on the post saying, “What is it with lithium batteries and NYC? Four fires in one city caused by them in 24 hours; yet Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan areas combined might have had four since Jan 1st.”

 

As reported, New York City rolled out a number of e-bike/e-scooter programs in recent years. We contacted both the FDNY and the City administration for comment on whether they see a correlation between the recent roll-out of these e-bike programs and these recent fires which have been caused by lithium-ion batteries in e-scooters. We did not receive an immediate response.

 

We also contacted Bird, Lime and Veo to ask if their e-bikes are run on lithium-ion batteries. A Veo representative responded on Monday, May 9, in the affirmative.

 

Recently, officers from the @NYPD52Pct saw a male riding on an illegal dirt bike & tried to stop him, but the suspect fled on foot. The officers quickly caught him & found he was in possession of this loaded firearm, along with being wanted for a recent homicide. pic.twitter.com/WtEGyslrPi

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 18, 2022

In December 2021, the City Council announced it would be voting on legislation that would complete the then most recent revision to the New York City Fire Code (prior to the Twin Parks fire). The council said the legislative amendments were based on the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code as well as additional provisions.

 

 

The amendments voted on included a revision to energy storage system requirements, with the goal of establishing a regulatory framework that opened the door to lithium–ion and other new battery technologies to power buildings and building systems, “all while assuring appropriate building fire safety.”

 

The bill was set to also establish a regulatory framework for what was described as New York City’s emerging distilled spirits industry, authorizing the use of hydrogen fuel cells to further the City’s clean energy efforts, and including “hundreds of other substantive and technical amendments to improve fire safety in the city.”

 

“The passage of this legislation will provide the framework necessary for a greener tomorrow by establishing the ability for lithium-ion batteries and other storage technologies to be utilized safely,” said Council Member Joe Borelli of Staten Island at the time. “These landmark environmental changes will increase energy efficiency and reduce the City’s carbon footprint. By passing this legislation, we also return the ability to produce spirits within the city limits, an industry we were once renowned for.” The bill was passed on Jan. 15, 2022.

 

 

We asked the FDNY if they envisaged any safety concerns regarding the use of lithium-ion batteries in other ways, such as described in this bill, in addition to their use in e-scooters, in the context of fire safety. We did not receive an immediate response.