NYC Fire Deaths Surge Amid Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

City Officials and Companies Clash Over E-Scooter Safety Regulations

Fire in Brooklyn caused by a lithium-ion battery in an e-scooter has resulted in three deaths and left a firefighter badly injured.
New York City is on track to surpass 100 fire deaths this year, a number not seen in decades, with 17 of those fatalities due to lithium-ion batteries.
New York City Fire Department plans to launch a national campaign to educate people about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.
Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has called on companies like Amazon and Walmart to regulate batteries and products sold on their websites, and food delivery companies to protect delivery drivers from unsafe e-scooters with unregulated lithium-ion batteries.
Uber has suggested the city implement a small fee on all food deliveries to help transition drivers to certified bikes, while Grubhub has called for safe charging hubs for delivery partners and a product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.