NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Four people were killed and two critically injured early Tuesday when a fire tore through an e-bike repair shop below their apartment building in Lower Manhattan, the FDNY said.
The fire marshal found the fire was accidental and caused by a lithium-ion battery on the first floor where the shop is located, according to the FDNY.
The fire broke out around 12:15 a.m. at 80 Madison St., a six-story building with HQ E-Bike Repair at street level and five stories of apartments above it.
A thick plume of smoke hovered over the area as firefighters battled the fire about a block west of the Manhattan Bridge on the border of the Two Bridges and Chinatown neighborhoods.
Two men and two women who lived in apartments above the e-bike shop were killed. Among them was a 71-year-old man, according to the FDNY.
Two other women were taken in critical condition to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Cornell. They are also said to be residents of the building.
A seventh civilian and a firefighter also suffered minor injuries.
The Red Cross tweeted that it was providing emergency housing to eight households that include 23 adults and two children.
No one was believed to be in the e-bike shop, which was closed at the time.
The fire was so intense that it melted the roll-up security door that covers the storefront at night.
Dozens of e-bikes were seen lying around the smoldering ruins of the shop at daybreak Tuesday.
The deadly fire only adds to the tragic list of hundreds of New Yorkers who've been killed or injured by the batteries in recent years, including a 7-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister who were killed when an e-bike exploded in the entry to an apartment building in Astoria in April.
The initial 911 call in Tuesday's fire was made by Belal Alayah, who works at Catherine Deli & Bagels on the corner. He said it's time more is done about the batteries used in e-bikes.
"I never thought about it, but now I see why it's a huge issue," Alayah said. "Listen, people lost their lives tonight. They should do something to regulate or ban these e-bikes. There should be a certain standard, safety standards. I mean it's too late now, but they should do something to prevent it for the future. It's so sad."
At a morning news conference, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said the location is known to the fire department, which has written multiple violations and conducted enforcement there.
"It is very clear that this was caused by lithium batteries and e-bikes," the commissioner said. "There is a very large number of both batteries and e-bikes."
Kavanagh said the scenario that played out—a fire in an e-bike shop below residences—can prove "incredibly deadly" due to the "volume of fire created by these lithium-ion batteries."
"It can make it nearly impossible to get out in time," the commissioner said, noting "it's more an explosion than a smoldering fire."
Including Tuesday's fire, there have been 108 lithium battery–related fires in the city in 2023, resulting in 13 deaths and more than 60 injuries, she said. Last year in the city, nearly 200 fires and six deaths were tied to the batteries.
Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn said the property was inspected last August, which led to the FDNY issuing summonses.
"They were found guilty in court," Flynn said, adding the fine was $1,600.
Violations were also issued in 2021, he said. The violations were related to the charging of batteries, the number of batteries and faulty electrical wiring.
Marshall Lee, who lives next door, said it only took moments for the shop to become engulfed in fire.
"We saw smoke coming from the e-bike shop, like enough that it was concerning," he said. "There was a cop trying to evacuate some people. We called 911. I was like, 'hurry, hurry.' That place went up in flames in like the smack of a finger."
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