Authorities reported that when a fire broke out in an e-bike maintenance business in Manhattan’s Chinatown and spread to the apartments above it, four individuals were killed, and three were left fighting for their lives.
The fire started around 12:14 in the morning. midnight in the six-story apartment building on Madison Street near Catherine Street with HQ E-Bike Repair on the first floor.
Firefighters “found heavy fire” in the ground-floor shop, the FDNY reported in a tweet.
Two ladies were hospitalized in critical condition, while two males and two women were slain. A seventh victim suffered severe injuries as well. It’s thought that all of the victims are elderly people.
One firefighter sustained minor wounds.
Numerous people who lived above the repair shop fled or got help.
There was no apparent indication of what started the fire. Behind police tape, a stack of burning e-bikes was visible in the roadway while firefighters examined the blaze.
In the city, e-bike battery fires have killed seven individuals this year, in addition to the fire on Tuesday.
A 94-year-old woman and her son perished last month due to burns sustained in a quick-moving e-bike fire at the family’s Washington Heights apartment.
According to the FDNY, Bertha Domenech Santiago and her son Luis’ deaths represented the sixth and seventh times that lithium-ion batteries—used in electric bikes, scooters, and hoverboards—have been found to catch fire, surpassing the number of fire fatalities from 2022.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
