Two Upper West Siders were rushed to the hospital on Sunday night following a fire that was likely caused by a lithium-ion battery, ABC 7 reports.
The report says a mother and child were both burned by flames from the fire, which started in an apartment near West 60th Street and West End Avenue. The FDNY did not immediately respond to inquiries about the severity of the burns, or steps citizens can take to prevent similar incidents.
This particular fire seems to have stemmed from a battery in a cell phone charger, according to ABC 7. Lithium ion battery fires have spiked in New York City in recent years, though most incidents involve electric bike batteries.
In July, Mayor Eric Adams announced the launch of an initiative aimed at ensuring the safety of e-bike charging and the FDNY launched a $1 million public education and awareness campaign on the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.
According to a press statement announcing the initiative, more than 59% of lithium-ion battery fires in 2023 were started when those batteries were not charging. The same release states that lithium-ion batteries have killed 29 New Yorkers and started 733 fires since 2019. The FDNY’s tips for lithium-ion battery safety can be found here.
Time for the City to require the use of LFP batteries in e-bikes.
That’s lithium ferrous (some times iron) phosphate.
They don’t self oxidize during a fire, and as an added benefit they don’t use cobalt which is highly toxic and mined under horrid conditions.