ASTORIA, QUEENS — An e-scooter battery left charging within the basement of an Astoria cafe set the constructing ablaze on Sunday, marking the most recent in a spate of battery-sparked fires this 12 months.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. twelfth, 60 firefighters rushed to reply to a basement hearth at 36-03 thirtieth Avenue — a three-story constructing with two residences and a ground-floor cafe, known as Create.
After dousing the blaze in water, firefighters searched by the constructing; they did not discover anybody inside, however did uncover some lithium-ion batteries on hearth within the basement, FDNY information present.
A supervisor at Create’s Ditmars Boulevard location confirmed with Patch that lithium-ion e-scooter batteries have been charging within the cafe’s basement on Sunday, and in accordance with him they sparked the fireplace.
Sunday’s blaze marks at the very least the seventy fifth scooter battery hearth this 12 months, which officers have attributed to the expansion of the restaurant supply enterprise and the sale of cheaper, poor-quality batteries.
“We want to really stress the seriousness of this situation,” mentioned FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro after a 9-year-old Queens boy died in a battery-sparked blaze in Sept.
The boy is certainly one of three fatalities and 60 accidents related with battery fires this 12 months — a roughly 150-percent improve from 2020, in accordance with FDNY information reported by Streetsblog.
In Oct., after Fire Marshals decided that 4 fires in a single week have been attributable to e-bike batteries, officers issued a warning to e-bike customers, encouraging them to watch out when charging and storing the batteries.
“Lithium-ion batteries store a large amount of energy and can pose a threat if not treated properly,” officers warned customers, noting that the batteries are generally utilized in cell telephones, laptops, tablets, electrical automobiles, and scooters.
No one was injured within the blaze at Create, however the hearth has left the cafe with out electrical energy, water, or energy, the supervisor informed Patch, including that he does not know when the enterprise will reopen.
Fire officers informed Patch that the reason for the fireplace on thirtieth Avenue continues to be “under investigation” however mentioned that lithium ion batteries have sparked “numerous fires” and directed New Yorkers to a video about battery security.