E-bike battery fire kills 69-year-old man, injures two others in Brooklyn

An exploding lithium-ion battery sparked a fire that killed one person and injured two others in Brighton Beach on Wednesday morning, according to the FDNY.

The battery was charging inside a bedroom in a second-floor apartment at 3110 Brighton 3rd St. at about 3:30 a.m, officials said, when it failed and ignited. The sound of the explosion woke residents, who tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out themselves before they called 911.

Firefighters arrived on the scene just after 3:40 a.m. to find heavy fire on the second floor, said FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito. Two children who lived in the unit escaped unharmed, and the two adults who attempted to extinguish the blaze got out with minor injuries.

The fire blew out several windows in the building. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

But the fire prevented a 69-year-old man, who has not yet been named, from escaping.

As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, they discovered the victim near the badly charred remains of the lithium-ion battery. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

FDNY personnel stretched hose lines into the building and extinguished the fire before it spread to other units, Esposito said.

“When lithium-ion batteries ignite, it’s a much more serious, much more involved fire,” Esposito said. “I would say we were kind of lucky that we were able [extinguish it] as quickly as we did, considering the heavy fire condition, with minor injuries.”

Fire damage in the hallway of the apartment building. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell.

An investigation by the fire marshal concluded that the fire was caused by the battery within hours. Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn said the battery was likely purchased online, and was unregulated. The sale of unregulated lithium batteries and e-bikes is banned in New York City.

Flynn urged New Yorkers to store and charge their lithium-ion batteries and devices outside, and to call 911 as soon as one catches fire. Lithium-ion battery fires burn hot and intensely, and often start without warning.

“Do not try to extinguish these fires,” he said. “Call 911, let us get out there as quickly as possible to extinguish these. You will not be able to put these things out on your own.”

New York City has seen hundreds of lithium battery fires so far this year — including one in Bensonhurst on Oct. 13 — and four fatalities. Despite the devastation, officials said their warnings about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries appear to have been heeded.

“Although deaths have decreased because people are listening, this is number four, and it’s too many,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker. “I will not stop talking about unregulated lithium-ion batteries and the dangers that they cause until we are at zero.”

By this time last year, 14 people had died in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, Flynn said, and the number of structural fires was much higher — indicating that New Yorkers have stopped storing their batteries and e-bikes indoors, where they’re much more dangerous.

Last year, an e-bike fire killed three family members in a Crown Heights apartment building after the bike caught fire in the basement. In 2024, lithium-ion battery fires have displaced dozens of Brooklynites and hospitalized several others.

Debris from the fire littered the yard. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

“Unregulated lithium-ion batteries kill people,” Tucker said. “They also threaten the lives of our firefighters and first responders who have to go into these fires, which, as we saw early this morning, are quite dangerous.”

The commish thanked New Yorkers who have heard the FDNY’s message and taken action to prevent fires.

“As often as possible, we’re messaging that lithium-ion batteries that are unregulated, that you’re buying from places that are unregulated, kill people,” he said. “And we appreciate the public hearing us.”