5 hurt, 1 seriously, in NYC fire, with e

Mar 11, 2023

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Five people were hurt in a fire at a Brooklyn apartment, according to FDNY officials — who revealed that an e-bike battery was found in the building, but cautioned the cause of the blaze was still being investigated Monday.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the six-story building on Arlington Avenue near Van Siclen Avenue in Cypress Hills around 9:40 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

One person was hospitalized with serious injuries. Four others suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention, authorities said.

A dozen FDNY units — including 60 firefighters — responded to the blaze, bringing the flames under control by around 10:10 p.m.

The FDNY confirmed that a lithium ion battery was "packaged and removed from the location."

It wasn't clear Monday whether the battery — used to power e-bikes and various other devices, was responsible for the blaze.

The cause remains under investigation, the FDNY said.

A lithium ion battery sparked a deadly fire earlier this month at 565 West 190th Street in the Fort George section of Manhattan, the department said.

During a press conference about that blaze, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said that the batteries have sparked 76 fires in the five boroughs — injuring 60 people and killing seven — so far this year, topping the total for all of 2022.

"It is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of fire deaths this year," Kavanagh said. "And we want to emphasize again: These fires are extremely dangerous. They create a large volume of fire very quickly and present significant threats to New Yorkers who try to get out of their homes and to our members as they respond to these calls.

"Please, please use these devices the way they’re supposed to be used," she pleaded.

Last month in Queens, a 7-year-old and a teenager died in a house fire that was sparked by the battery on an e-bike, officials said.

People were forced to leap out of their windows to escape the inferno that broke out inside the vestibule on the first floor of the two-story building at 25-71 46th St. in Astoria and quickly spread up the stairs, fire officials said.