Two Young People Killed in E

Advertisement

Supported by

The bike's battery was being charged near the front door of the apartment building when the blaze ignited and quickly spread.

Send any friend a story

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

By Winnie Hu and Joshua Needelman

Two young people were killed in "an explosion of fire" caused by an e-bike that was being charged near the front door of an apartment building in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens on Monday afternoon, New York City fire officials said. It was the latest in a series of deadly blazes caused by e-bike batteries.

The fire started in the vestibule of the building and traveled swiftly up the stairway, engulfing an apartment on the second floor where a father and five young people, including children, were inside, according to fire officials. Four of the occupants were able to jump out the windows to safety.

Fire officials did not immediately release the names or ages of the young people killed by the fire. Neighbors said the victims were a seven-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister. Officials said the mother, who also lived in the apartment, had not been at home at the time.

The intensity of the fast-moving blaze ignited by the e-bike's lithium ion battery trapped the family in the apartment, officials said.

Firefighters were on the scene in three minutes, officials said, adding that if it had not been an e-bike fire, they would probably have been able to put out the fire without casualties.

The e-bike battery was being charged near the building's entrance with an extension cord that had been run from an upper floor, fire officials said.

"We lost two people today — we were fortunate to not lose six," Dan Flynn, the chief fire marshal, said at a news conference. "This continues to be a tremendous problem for us."

Five people have been killed this year by fires started by the lithium ion batteries that power micro-mobility devices, including e-bikes and e-scooters. That is up from a total of six deaths in all of 2022, according to fire officials. The batteries have been identified in 59 fires this year, compared with 220 fires last year, fire officials said.

As Monday's fire spread, Ahmed Zakiniaeiz, 34, who lives across from the building, yelled up at the family to jump, he said. He could hear screaming, and the air smelled like smoke. Mr. Zakiniaeiz said he had been able to see the fire through an open door, sweeping the apartment from floor to ceiling.

A young boy leaped into his arms, Mr. Zakiniaeiz said. But two more young people, who had been crying for help, eventually fell silent and disappeared from the window, he said. The boy caught by Mr. Zakiniaeiz screamed, "My brother, my brother!"

Another neighbor, Teddy Alafosiannis, said he had caught three people, including the father.

Fire officials have repeatedly warned about the dangers of improperly storing and charging e-bikes, and city officials recently adopted new restrictions on them.

"We know people have e-bikes and similar micro-mobility devices, and we are imploring users to follow all manufacturer safety guidelines and recommendations," Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a statement.

Chief Flynn said officials believed that the e-bike in Monday's fire might have been connected to an "aftermarket charger," and he stressed the importance of purchasing chargers that are compatible with the micro-mobility devices.

Winnie Hu is a reporter on the Metro desk, focusing on transportation and infrastructure stories. She has also covered education, politics in City Hall and Albany, and the Bronx and upstate New York since joining The Times in 1999. @WinnHu

Advertisement