Fire authorities reported 38 injuries in a midtown Manhattan high-rise apartment fire Saturday.
At a news conference on Saturday, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said that two people were in serious condition in the hospital and five others were in critical condition. Others had their minor wounds treated.
According to Joseph Pataki, one of the department’s leaders, two persons have “life-threating injuries related to smoke inhalation” and are in critical condition. He said that once emergency medical workers arrive, the number of wounded people is certain to grow. Services evaluate more residents.
lithium-ion battery fire
At 10.24 on Saturday morning, according to Kavanagh, the fire brigade was called to the high-rise apartment building’s 20th level where there was a fire.
Firefighters arrived three minutes after receiving the call and freed two people stuck on the 20th story, according to FDNY Chief Frank Lieb. The rope rescue was one of them, he said further.
According to Kavanagh, the fire was started by “a lithium-ion battery connected to a micro mobility device,” which is a scooter, bicycle, or skateboard with a battery.
The number of fires started by lithium-ion battery-powered micro-mobility devices has “exponentially increased” in recent years, according to Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn. According to him, this year there were 200 similar fires, which resulted in six fatalities.
The e-bikes and e-scooters among these micro-mobility gadgets might have been implicated in the fire, but authorities remained mum on the specific model.
Authorities suspect the tenant of the flat where the fire began was fixing the at least five motorcycles that were found inside, according to Flynn.
“We also want to bring attention to the increasing frequency of e-bike fires and ensure that families are using them safely, including not charging them overnight while they sleep, ensuring that they’re certified, and ensuring that their batteries are not destroyed,” Kavangh added.
