Fire at e-bike repair shop kills four after spreading to apartments

Four people were killed and two injured when a started at an e-bike repair shop in New York City’s Chinatown spread rapidly to surrounding apartments.

The deadly fire was reported around 12.00am on Tuesday morning at an e-bike repair shop in lower Manhattan. The shop, called HQ E-Bike Repair, sat at on the street level of a six-story building with apartments above.

A total of six people were pulled out of the burning building early on Tuesday morning, Fire Department of New York (FDNY) officials said.

FDNY firefighters respond to the e-bike repair shop in Chinatown on Tuesday morning (Picture: Twitter/FDNY)

Four of the victims, two men and two women, died from their injuries. Another two women were hospitalized in critical condition.

One firefighter was also treated for minor injuries.

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said the blaze was started by lithium ion batteries and e-bikes that were being stored at the repair shop.

Kavanaugh spoke to the press in front of a large pile of smoldering bike tires, electric scooters, and charging stations stood in front of the store.

‘The volume of fire created by these lithium ion batteries is incredibly deadly,’ Kavanaugh said. The speed and intensity of these blazes ‘makes it nearly impossible to get out in time,’ the commissioner added.

Lithium ion batteries are often used to power ‘micro-mobility’ devices such as e-bikes and electric scooters, which are frequently used by delivery cyclists.

The batteries have also sparked similar fires this year in London and West Yorkshire.

The shop had been previously cited by city fire inspectors at least twice, the FDNY said.

‘We did inspect this property in August and we did issue FDNY summonses. They were found guilty in court,’ Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn said. The shop had to pay a $1600 fine for the citation.

The shop had also been cited in 2021, the fire marshal added.

According to the FDNY, there have been a total of 108 fires started by lithium ion batteries in 2023, which have killed a total of 13 New Yorkers.

‘That is significantly higher than last year,’ Commissioner Kavanaugh said. ‘I believe we were at two at this time last year.’

The FDNY is asking New Yorkers to never charge their micro-mobility devices overnight, and ensure charging stations aren’t placed in an area that would block an escape route.

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FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said the blaze was started by lithium ion batteries and e-bikes that were being stored at the repair shop.