At least 4 dead in NYC e-bike repair shop blaze; FDNY recently cited location for multiple violations

At least four people have died and more were critically injured in a fire that started at an e-bike repair shop in lower Manhattan Tuesday night, KUSA and other outlets reported.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at 80 Madison Street around 12:15 a.m., the FDNY tweeted around 3:40 a.m. At the time, the FDNY reported there were seven injuries, six of which were critical. A firefighter also sustained minor injuries.

A 71-year-old man was among the deceased victims, according to the New York Times.

"It is very clear that this was caused by lithium-ion batteries and e-bikes. There was a very large number of both batteries and e-bikes," said FDNY Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh in a press conference Tuesday morning.

"This location is known to the Fire Department. We have written violations at this location before, and we have conducted enforcement at this location before."

Commissioner Kavanaugh emphasized how "incredibly dangerous" it is to have housing above ground-level e-bike shops.

"The volume of fire created by these lithium-ion batteries is incredibly deadly."

Firefighters quickly gained entrance to the building and pulled many victims out, enabling first responders to treat them right away.

The sheer volume of these sorts of fires can "make it nearly impossible to get out in time," Kavanaugh said. She described the types of blazes created by the batteries as more of an explosion than a smoldering fire.

"It can often be too late as soon as the fire has begun," she said.

Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn said the shop had been inspected in August, the FDNY had issued summonses, and that the defendants were found guilty in court and given a $1,600 fine.

The summonses were related to the charging of the batteries, the number of the batteries at the location, and the electrical wiring required to charge them, Chief Fire Marshal Flynn also said. Summonses were also issued in 2021.

Commissioner Kavanaugh said a total of 108 fires and 13 fatalities related to lithium-ion batteries have been logged so far this year, which is "significantly higher" than last year.

A child and a teen died in an e-bike fire in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in April, as TheBlaze reported.

Fire Commissioner Kavanaugh asks citizens who see unsafe conditions related to e-bikes to call 311 to help the FDNY in its enforcement and education efforts.