There were 104 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in 2021, leading to 79 injuries and four deaths, according to the FDNY.
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This year, that number is already up to 126, with 74 injuries and five deaths.
That includes one at a NYCHA complex in Harlem that left a 5-year-old girl and a woman dead.
Council Member Gail Brewer was joined by other city officials Monday to call on NYCHA to create a plan that accommodates people who depend on e-bikes for work while protecting residents.
Brewer's office said there are a number of bills being drafted to address issues of safety and regulation of lithium-ion battery-powered e-bikes and other mobility devices.
NYCHA is proposing a new policy that would prohibit e-bikes and their batteries from city-owned apartment buildings.
Residents would not be allowed to keep or charge the e-bike batteries in their apartments or common areas of the buildings.
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The housing authority has opened the proposed policy to comments from NYCHA residents.
If approved, all e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries would have to be removed from NYCHA buildings by October 15.
RELATED | 100 lithium-ion batteries found at scene of Hell's Kitchen fire
100 lithium-ion batteries found at scene of Hell's Kitchen fire
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