An off-the-books e-bike battery repair shop in the basement of a Queens home sparked a massive Friday morning blaze that left a firefighter and three building residents hospitalized, FDNY officials said.
The fire broke out on the first floor of the three-story home on 60th Ave. near 146th St. in Flushing just before 5:30 a.m., said FDNY Chief Christopher Paolicelli, who explained that a frozen hydrant delayed the emergency response.
“The first companies got there and they had heavy fire coming out the first floor,” Paolicelli said on X. “When they stretched their hose, they had a frozen hydrant in front of the building, so they had to go up and find another hydrant up the road, so there was a delay in water. We have water in the fire engine, the booster, so they were able to use that water until the chauffeur was able to secure a working hydrant that was further up the block.”
When firefighters entered the building they were “faced with heavy fire,” the chief said.
At the same time, two building residents were found escaping out of the back of the home, suffering from smoke inhalation.
It took firefighters about an hour to put out the blaze. Three residents and a firefighter were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.
As the smoke cleared, firefighters “saw that it was multiple e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries that had been on fire,” Paolicelli said.
One of the tenants in the building, FDNY fire marshals later learned, was running an e-bike repair shop on the first floor and basement of the home, where the e-bikes and batteries were found.
Fire Marshals found both lithium-ion batteries, as well as traditional lead acid batteries, a source with knowledge of the case said. Marshals later determined that one of the lithium-ion batteries sparked the fire.
The Queens blaze comes as the FDNY has seen significant progress in the fight against lithium-ion battery fires.
At 5:27 this morning, the FDNY responded to reports of a fire at 142-33 60th Avenue in Queens.
“The first companies got there and they had heavy fire coming out the first floor. When they stretched their hose, they had a frozen hydrant in front of the building, so they had to… pic.twitter.com/XbRftvOl6T
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 24, 2025
Last year, six people died from e-bike-related fires — just a third of the 18 fatalities that took place in 2023, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said.
“Our department’s dedication to fire prevention, education, and outreach has saved lives,” Tucker said earlier this month. “Fire-related fatalities are down by 25% compared to last year, with a significant 67 percent reduction in deaths related to lithium-ion batteries.
“One death is too many, but this progress is the result of enhanced public education, inspection efforts, and greater community engagement,” he said. “Despite the higher volume of calls, our EMS personnel and firefighters have worked tirelessly to save lives, and their efforts have helped make 2024 a safer year for New Yorkers.”
Last year, the FDNY Lithium-ion Battery Task Force inspected 585 e-bike shops, a 25% increase from 2023, the department noted. Inspectors issued 426 FDNY Summons, 138 violation orders, 32 criminal summonses, and issued seven vacate orders with the Department of Buildings.