Another e-bike fire has ripped through a New York building, taking four lives and leaving two hanging on a thread. We don’t yet know what caused this particular tragedy near Chinatown. But we are convinced it should never have happened. We apologize if we bore you with repetition, but we have to ask why, oh why won’t the people listen.
How the E-Bike Fire Erupted Tuesday Morning
The New York Fire Department – and ourselves for that matter – have repeatedly asked please do not leave lithium-ion batteries charging unattended. Although we are reasonably confident this is what happened, when the fire broke out in an e-bike service store on the first floor of a mixed-use building early Tuesday morning.
Picture this happening, reel by reel. There is small explosion in the darkened e-bike service store, followed by brilliant flash of fire. Nobody is there to take counter measures, even if they had had a special lithium fire extinguisher. You see, the metal burns furiously when it overheats, but this is a chemical reaction not easy to stop.
And so, by all accounts, at least six people were trapped by the spreading e-bike fire. We assume this blocked the fire escape, and there was nowhere else to go in the mixed-use building. It must have been ghastly for them. The fire department responded promptly, but when they arrived it was too late for four of them.
How Could This Happen In New York City?
Quite easily, we’re afraid. The exterior of the building was far from new, judging by photo we’ve seen in New York Times. We surmise someone at e-bike service store left a lithium battery (or batteries) charging overnight. And that an overheating battery lead to the deadly e-bike fire, but the alarm system failed to sound a warning.
Quality batteries have management systems that should have prevented this happening. Some cheap imports for e-bikes and e-scooters do not. If you have a friend who uses this convenient form of transport, please tell them about this potential danger.
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