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Exploding e-scooter battery sets off massive fire, 'extraordinary damage' in Bronx supermarket
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Mar 5, 2023
Modified Mar 5, 2023
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Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Mar 5, 2023
Modified Mar 5, 2023
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Seven people were injured after an e-scooter battery exploded in the back of a Bronx supermarket Sunday morning, officials said.
The fast-moving blaze ripped through a commercial building on 181st Street and Grand Concourse, causing “an extraordinary amount of damage,” according to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh.
Hundreds of firefighters were still working to contain the fire on Sunday afternoon when Mayor Eric Adams and fire officials held a press conference to discuss the familiar culprit: a lithium ion battery commonly used by e-bikes and scooters.
“We have witnessed this over and over again,” Adams said. “We have to really adopt the use of these batteries, make sure the illegal batteries are not in the city, and we have to educate the public.”
Video shared by the FDNY shows the explosion engulfing a small back room in flames. The fire then spread to a next-door laundromat, officials said, as thick plumes of smoke rose over the city – briefly sweeping through parts of the Bronx Zoo, according to visitors.
A Con Ed employee, an EMS worker, and five firefighters suffered injuries – though none were considered life threatening.
Speaking at the scene, Chief John Hodgens said the force and speed of fires caused by e-bike batteries made them extremely challenging to extinguish.
City officials have sought to crack down on non-compliant e-bike batteries, pointing to evidence of a growing public safety threat.
Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
“The amount of fire that was produced by a single battery in under five minutes, we weren’t unable to get ahead of it,” he said. “It’s really something that we haven’t seen before in terms of a small fire turning into something like this in a matter of minutes.”
City officials have sought to crack down on non-compliant e-bike batteries, pointing to evidence of a growing public safety threat. In the first two months of this year, the batteries were believed responsible for 22 fires, leading to 36 injuries and two deaths.
Last week, the City Council passed a slate of bills meant to address the issue, including one that would bar e-bikes lacking certified electrical systems from being leased or sold in the city.
It’s not clear if the cause of Sunday’s fire was an illegal or defective battery, charger or something else. The cause is under investigation.
Tagged
public safety
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the bronx
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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