Over 100 lithium-ion batteries catch fire in cellar of Queens home
FLUSHING, Queens (WABC) -- Lithium-ion batteries are to blame after a home business went up in flames in Queens, the FDNY says.
Firefighters responded to the home on Pidgeon Meadow Road around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
They discovered about 100 lithium-ion batteries burning in the cellar of the home. Police said the owner was operating an illegal lithium-ion battery repair business in the basement.
The resident in the home has denied that he was running an e-bike repair shop. He says all of the e-bikes are just a hobby.
Multiple e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries were found in various states of disassembly and disrepair.
FDNY Haz Mat units removed and overpacked about 600 individual battery cells from the location.
Fire officials found power cords dangling from the ceiling, bicycles, scooters, e-bikes and hundreds of batteries.
Investigators say e-bikes were found in various states of disassembly and disrepair.
"We actually were able to recover about 700 individual lithium battery cells that we packaged there. So there's evidence of some type of a workshop inside the location. So we believe the homeowner was either building or repairing their own batteries, which is incredibly dangerous," FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.
The homeowner was issued a criminal court summons for illegal storage of e-bikes along with summonses for multiple fire code violations.
Since 2023, 18 people have died from a lithium-battery fire.
That number has steadily decreased to just one death so far this year.
But this year, there have been more structural fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.
"That's our highest number year to date that we've recorded in the history of recording this data. So these fires are not going away," Flynn said.
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