More NYC fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in two months than in all of 2019: FDNY chief

Metro

By Ronny Reyes

Lithium-ion batteries utilized in E-bikes and different digital mobility gadgets at the moment are a number one explanation for fires in New York Metropolis following their reputation surged throughout the pandemic’s supply growth, FDNY officers say.

FDNY Chief Fireplace Marshal Daniel Flynn instructed The Publish that fires related to lithium-ion batteries have gone up practically nine-fold because the pandemic, with extra blazes associated to the batteries taking place within the final two months than in all of 2019.

“It’s the prevalence of those e-devices on our streets, there’s far more of them now than ever earlier than,” Flynn mentioned.

The hearth chief attributed the recognition of the e-bikes and scooters to the “gig financial system” growth in 2020, which noticed individuals buy the gadgets on the cheap-side in droves to do supply jobs.

He added that the automobiles have additionally grow to be standard amongst commuters.

“Individuals purchased these gadgets some three years in the past, and now they’re getting old,” he mentioned, noting that many don’t know the risks attributable to the wear-and-tear on the batteries’ vitality cells.

“We’ve seen individuals attempt to repair it or modify it themselves, go to outlets from unauthorized distributors or take it on themselves to exchange the outdated batteries,” he added. “We inform individuals to not go together with the most affordable choice and search out the producer straight.”

It’s this improper upkeep and defects from older fashions which have brought on quite a few blazes associated to lithium-ion batteries to soar, in line with the FDNY.

Whereas there have been solely 30 fires associated to the batteries in 2019, the quantity greater than tripled by 2021, with 104 fires reported. That 12 months additionally noticed 4 fatalities, whereas nobody was reported to have died from the blazes in 2019 or 2020.

The quantity of battery-related fires greater than doubled the next 12 months, with 220 fires reported, in addition to six deaths confirmed. Final 12 months, the FDNY reported 268 fires involving lithium-ion batteries, 150 accidents and 18 deaths.

As of Feb. 26, officers mentioned there have been 31 fires associated to the batteries, together with 26 accidents and one dying.

The newest dying was that of Indian journalist Fazil Khan, who died in a Harlem hearth on Feb. 23 after a lithium-ion battery caught hearth in a six-story condo constructing.

To fight the presence of the defective batteries within the metropolis, the FDNY’s Lithium-Ion Activity Pressure carries out inspections all through the 5 boroughs.

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh vowed in February to proceed cracking down on companies that supply to exchange particular person battery cells from outdated ones, a fireplace code violation that creates what she known as “Frankenstein batteries.”

“They kill individuals, they’ve killed individuals and they’ll kill extra individuals if companies proceed to function on this method,” Kavanagh mentioned.

However whereas New York has pushed companies and shoppers to comply with new UL requirements for the batteries, Flynn famous that there was little town may do about older models coming in from different states that don’t require such rules.

US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), nevertheless, is pushing for a nationwide commonplace to assist put an finish to the “unprecedented disaster in hearth security.”

“Poorly manufactured and poorly dealt with lithium-ion batteries are ticking time bombs in American houses and companies,” Torres mentioned throughout a congressional listening to mid-February urging passage of the Setting Client Requirements For Lithium-ion Batteries Act.