The Fire That Never Should Have Happened: E-Bike Safety Overlooked Again
The explosive, deadly fire that broke out in a Harlem apartment building early last year followed pointed warnings to city government agencies about fire dangers related to a proliferation of e-bikes stored there — yet no investigation.
Two weeks earlier, the city’s 311 system had received two alerts about bikes chained to a fence outside the building that a caller said could impede the FDNY in the event of a fire, “resulting in a loss of life and property,” records show. Residents had repeatedly complained to the landlord, to no avail, about e-bike batteries being charged inside the building.
But the 311 system treated the complaints as minor matters. One came in via the 311 website, selecting the menu item for a bike rack request that was automatically channeled to the city Department of Transportation. The second came in as a phone call the dispatcher steered to the NYPD, reporting a blocked sidewalk outside 2 St. Nicholas Place.
Dead-End Calls
The 311 inquiries about e-bikes chained to the fence outside 2 St. Nicholas Place came into the system on Feb. 8.
One came through the 311 website page on bike racks, with the complainant stating that the address “has eight e-bikes and two mopeds under tarp chained to the fencing on the sidewalk everyday.”
“If fire hoses were being utilized, these chained obstacles could easily impede their movement resulting in loss of life and property,” the complaint states, then suggests eliminating this potentially dangerous scenario by installing a bike rack across the street in a park.
On that same day someone called 311 to complain about the e-bikes on the fence, and in this case the complaint was routed to the NYPD as “illegal parking” and “blocked sidewalk.”
No Category for E-Bike Safety
The obstacles to action at 2 St. Nicholas Place started with the less-than-obvious way the 311 system fields calls about unsafe e-bike battery charging inside buildings.
A spokesperson for the Department of Technology and Information, the agency that manages 311, said the app is curated to present daily status updates, such as alternate side parking, and high-volume service requests within the limited space available on app.
Frequently used complaint categories include rats, noise, homeless encampments, trash pickup, potholes and dirty sidewalks. There is no category for suspected unsafe battery charging.
The 311 website homepage lists 16 “most popular” inquiries — but suspected e-bike battery charging is not a menu option anywhere on the site.
No Response from DOT
The DOT did not respond to the scene. Meanwhile, the 30th Precinct cops sent to check it out determined “the bikes were attached to private property and police action was unwarranted.” They closed the case in less than an hour.
The Fire Department Was Not Involved
The Fire Department was not involved, and in the 15 days between the 311 complaints and the Feb. 23 fire, no city agency investigated where all the batteries for the devices chained outside were being charged.
Federal Funding for Charging Stations
Federal funding for a concurrent effort to set up 173 charging stations outside 53 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments was announced in June, but the process has been slow to get the stations up and running. Contracts for a pilot program with Con Ed at four developments are expected to take place this spring.
The Mayor’s Pledge to Investigate E-Bike Charging
Nearly two ago, in the wake of a deadly Chinatown fire, Mayor Eric Adams and his former fire commissioner urged New Yorkers to use the 311 system to report dangerous lithium-ion battery charging — promising the FDNY would then be notified and required to respond to the complaint within 12 hours. Since then, the FDNY says it has received and responded to more than a thousand such calls.
The Adams Administration’s Efforts to Dissuade Charging
Last year DOT launched a pilot program to reduce battery charging inside apartments by setting up charging docks on sidewalks. Last week, DOT announced it is expanding the pilot with a new protocol for building owners and tenants citywide to obtain approval to set up sidewalk charging stations outside their buildings.
Conclusion
The failure to act on warnings about e-bike battery charging inside an apartment building in Harlem resulted in a deadly fire that took the life of a young journalist. The lack of a category for e-bike safety in the 311 system and the lack of response from the DOT contributed to the disaster. The city must do better to protect its residents from the dangers of lithium-ion battery charging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why didn’t the DOT respond to the 311 complaints?
A: The DOT did not respond to the 311 complaints because there is no category for e-bike safety in the 311 system. The complaints were automatically channeled to the DOT, but there was no clear protocol for addressing the issue.
Q: Why did the 311 system treat the complaints as minor matters?
A: The 311 system treated the complaints as minor matters because they did not involve any immediate safety threats. However, the complaints were still valid and should have been investigated.
Q: What can the city do to prevent similar incidents in the future?
A: The city can do several things to prevent similar incidents in the future, including creating a category for e-bike safety in the 311 system, increasing awareness about the dangers of lithium-ion battery charging, and implementing protocols for addressing complaints about e-bike charging.
Q: What is being done to improve e-bike safety in New York City?
A: The city is taking several steps to improve e-bike safety, including launching a pilot program to reduce battery charging inside apartments, setting up charging docks on sidewalks, and expanding the pilot program to all building owners and tenants citywide. Additionally, the city is working to establish a new protocol for obtaining approval to set up sidewalk charging stations outside buildings.
Q: How many e-bike fires have occurred in New York City?
A: Since 2019, there have been 936 e-bike fires in New York City, resulting in 507 injuries and 33 deaths.
