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E-bike sparks fatal Astoria house fire, killing 7-year-old and teenager
By
Phil Corso
Published Apr 10, 2023
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By
Phil Corso
Published Apr 10, 2023
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A 7-year-old and 19-year-old died on Monday after an e-bike sparked a house fire in Queens, the FDNY said.
The two-alarm fire started around 2 p.m. in the vestibule of the home on 46th Street in Astoria because of an e-bike charging near the building's entrance, officials said. The flames quickly engulfed the second floor, where a father and his five children were, the FDNY said. The father and three of his children were able to jump from a window on the second floor to escape, but his 7-year-old and 19-year-old children died in the fire.
The mother was not home at the time of the incident, officials said.
Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said Monday's inferno was the 59th this year related to lithium ion batteries, and the fatalities brought this year's total to five — just one shy of all the deaths recorded in 2022.
Fire officials say it was a charging e-bike that started the blaze.
FDNY
"We've had five people killed by these devices [this year]," Flynn said at the scene on Monday. "We keep stressing the importance of understanding that [e-bike batteries and charging devices] do pose a danger. We want people to use them, but we want them to use them safely."
Flynn said it appeared the charger involved in Monday's fire was an "aftermarket" charger, meaning it was not compatible with the device it was being used to charge.
State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents the community in Queens, said his office would work to help support those who were displaced.
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said it took just three minutes for firefighters to respond on Monday, but the nature of the fire made it difficult to contain.
"If this was not an e-bike fire, most likely, we would have been able to put this fire out without incident," he said. "But the way these fires occur, it's like an explosion of fire and these occupants had very little chance of escaping."
Officials said people should not be charging their e-bikes overnight, or unattended. They should also not be left to charge near an entrance or exit to a building.
Lawmakers are hoping to curb the number of battery-related fires in New York City.
FDNY
“The horrific fire that resulted in the death of two young people Monday afternoon is a stark reminder of the importance of an issue the FDNY has been talking about for some time: education and awareness around lithium-ion batteries," Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a statement. "We know people have e-bikes and similar micro-mobility devices, and we are imploring users to follow all manufacturer safety guidelines and recommendations."
Kavanagh continued, "We are also calling on our federal, state and local partners to move quickly on regulations that will help ensure tragedies like today's fire are prevented. We are heartbroken for the family of these victims."
Last month, Mayor Eric Adams rolled out a plan to combat e-bike fires called “Charge safe, Ride safe,” which would bring safe e-bike charging and storage stations across the city, including at NYCHA buildings and hubs the city establishes for delivery workers. The City Council also passed several bills last month aiming to curb the number of battery-related fires.
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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