NYC high-rise fire injures 38 people

Blaze was caused by lithium-ion battery in electric bicycle, officials determine

NEW YORK — Firefighters, using ropes and dangling off a high-rise in midtown Manhattan, rescued a woman who was trapped in a fire Saturday that injured at least 38 people, officials said.

The fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery in an electric bicycle, authorities said. The unit where the fire started had at least five e-bikes, Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.

Officials said they believe a resident of the apartment repaired bikes and they were investigating whether unauthorized business activity had taken place.

About 200 fires in New York City this year have been caused by lithium-ion batteries, resulting in six deaths, he said. These batteries are found in small transportation devices such as electric bikes, scooters and hoverboards.

The fires caused by the batteries are typically intense and can quickly gain momentum with any combustible objects around them, officials said.

A sign outside the apartment complex read, “No pedal or e- bikes allowed beyond this point.” Fire officials said any device that uses the powerful lithium-ion batteries could cause a risk, not only those in bicycles.

A deputy assistant chief, Frank Leeb, described the use of a rope rescue as “a last resort in the FDNY.”

Of those hurt, two were in critical condition, five were in serious condition and the rest had minor injuries, fire officials said.

They said they were still compiling information about the people injured as well as the number of people who were displaced and who will receive help from the Red Cross.

Officials said lingering questions around whether there had been building safety issues — whether there was or should have been a fire alarm; whether doors were left open, feeding the fire; whether fire protection and planning at the building were adequate — would be part of their investigation.

Residents described a scene of confusion and uncertainty about what had happened.

Allie Gold and Grvant Rosenberg, both 26, left their 10th-floor apartment when they smelled smoke and saw it billowing out of a window.

“The alarm didn’t go off, but it seemed like everyone got the memo and started going out,” Rosenberg said.

Along with Samantha Wilker, 30, a friend who was visiting, and their dog Norman, they went down the stairs as firefighters were coming in. Upon exiting the building, the three saw windows pop above them.

Residents who lived above the 20th floor, where the fire was, evacuated to the roof. The New York Police Department dispatched a helicopter, but no rescues were conducted with it.

Other residents fled to the street via stairs or the elevator, but fire officials said they may have been safer remaining in their units with doors closed because the structure of the building is not combustible.

The fire comes nearly a year after a large fire in the Bronx killed 17 people after open apartment and stairwell doors allowed smoke to spread.