NEW YORK (BRAIN) — Firefighters extinguished a lithium-ion battery fire Sunday in the cellar of a Queens home operating as a battery repair business, according to the Fire Department of New York.
About 100 lithium-ion batteries in various states of disassembly were on fire when the FDNY arrived at 164-18 Pidgeon Meadow Road. No injuries were reported.
FDNY Haz-Mat units removed about 600 battery cells from the location. The FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention issued a summons to the owner for illegal storage of e-mobility devices. Additionally, an FDNY summons was also issued against the property owner for miscellaneous fire code infractions.
As of Monday, the FDNY has responded to 172 lithium-ion battery fires this year, five more than this time last year, officials said.
In 2023, the City Council's lithium-ion battery safety package was signed into law, prohibiting the sale of e-bikes and other powered mobility devices and their batteries that don't meet UL certification.
