Electric Scooter Fire Blamed for Deaths of Woman, Girl in New York Apartment Block
© AP Photo / Michel Euler
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The proliferation in rechargeable electric scooters in cities around the globe has brought with it a number of dangers, ranging from sidewalk collisions with pedestrians to spontaneously erupting battery fires.
According to fire investigators, a Wednesday fire in Harlem that killed two people was caused by a combusting battery for an electric scooter.
The fire erupted at about 2:45 am on Wednesday in an apartment at the Jackie Robinson Houses, a New York City Housing Authority-owned apartment block in East Harlem. According to WABC, inside the apartment were a 46-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a 5-year-old girl, as well as three huskies.
Because the scooter was in the entrance, the trio became trapped. Once rescued, they were rushed to the hospital, but the woman and her daughter were both pronounced dead. The man remains in critical condition. All the dogs died.
New York Fire Department later confirmed that the cause of the blaze was the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries inside the scooter. NYCHA said in a statement it was considering banning the vehicles, which have proliferated in US cities in recent years, from its premises.
"To prevent fires and preserve the health and safety of residents, NYCHA is considering the adoption of a new policy that would prohibit e-bikes and e-bike batteries in its public housing buildings, including apartments and common areas," NYCHA spokesperson Rochel Leah Goldblatt said in a statement. "This proposed new policy has been extended for public comment until September 6, 2022, at which time NYCHA will review and consider stakeholder feedback before issuing a final policy."
3 August 2022, 13:35 GMT
The combustion of the batteries, which can be caused by faulty manufacturing, overcharging, or damage to the battery, can quickly escalate in a matter of seconds, as large amounts of poisonous gas pour from the system before it bursts into flames. Videos posted on social media have also shown that the battery packs can pop out, causing hazards in opposite directions.
Arde un patinete eléctrico en la carretera
— SocialDrive (@SocialDrive_es) July 26, 2022
📹 Ciudad Jardín, Málaga pic.twitter.com/PNQveNEdIx
Another example of thermal runaway in an electric scooter, note the vast volume of highly flammable and toxic gasses, and the highly directional flames.
— The Secret Firefighter UK (@TheSecretFF999) July 12, 2022
Some of the most common causes of this are overcharging, cheap replacement batteries and damage to the battery. pic.twitter.com/q9vV6GV5KS
FDNY said the number of lithium battery fires has risen in recent months, with 121 investigations so far this year, 66 injuries and five deaths - all already higher than in 2021.
The problem isn’t limited to the United States, though: India’s consumer regulator recently issued complaints to the makers of five electric scooters following a rash of battery-driven fires, and a train on London’s Underground subway had to be evacuated last November after a scooter brought onto the train by a rider burst into flames.
