Four people have been killed in a fire at an e-bike repair shop in New York

Four people have died and at least three others are in critical condition after a fire that broke out at an e-bike shop in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, authorities said.

Two women and two men were killed in the fire that broke out at about 12:15 this morning at the bottom of a six-story building at 80 Madison Street.

One of the victims was identified as a 71-year-old man, officials noted.

At least two women were in critical condition and a third was also hospitalized. All victims were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Heavy smoke billowed from the store as firefighters evacuated residents from the block and piled dozens of burnt e-bikes outside the front of the HQ E-Bike Repair workshop.

A fire rips through the shutter doors of HQ E-Bike Repair at 80 Madison Street around 12:15 this morning

At least two women were in critical condition and a third was also hospitalized when smoke billowed from the store

According to the New York Fire Department, a total of nine people were initially injured in the inferno. This included a firefighter and a medical worker who were both reported to have minor injuries.

All victims were taken to local hospitals, including New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell’s burn unit, Bellevue Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center, the FDNY said.

“We arrived in about four minutes. We found a heavy fire in an e-bike shop, which is located on the first floor,” said deputy assistant chief John Sarrocco. ABC 7.

“Unfortunately, we had heavy smoke throughout the building,” he added.

One of the witnesses is the owner of a nearby deli. He told CBS New York, “I step out, I look, it’s a huge flame coming out of the gate. I’ll call the fire department, they’ll be here in 10 minutes.

“Once they got here, the flames started to get bigger and stronger… It was a complete mess.”

Another witness, Belal Alayah, told ABC 7: “A friend of mine came in and yelled ‘there’s a fire next door’.”

“I step outside, I see the flames so hot they go through the metal gate. I knew it was the bicycle shed, so I called the fire brigade, but the fire was getting bigger and it took them a while to contain it.’

At least four people have been killed in a fire at an e-bike shop in Chinatown. The New York Fire Department arrived on the scene

The fire could be seen as the shop’s shutters melted as the inferno ripped through the e-bike shop

According to the New York Fire Department, a total of nine people were initially injured in the inferno

HQ E-Bike Repair is located at 80 Madison Street in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood and offers the sale and service of electric bicycles and scooters

As firefighters continued their work inside the smoke-filled structure, dozens of e-bikes and e-scooters were ejected from the front of the store.

About 33 units responded to the blaze, including 138 firefighters and ambulance crews.

The fire was under control around 2:30 a.m. The fire service says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The National Fire Protection Association notes that despite the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, they are highly flammable due to their lithium-ion battery.

“Unknown to many users, the batteries that power e-bikes and e-scooters are also known to catch fire and cause explosions,” the association notes.

About 33 units responded to the blaze, including 138 firefighters and ambulance crews

At least two women were in critical condition and a third was also hospitalized. All victims were rushed to nearby hospitals

The association also adds: ‘Although there are no national or international statistics on how often e-bikes or e-scooters catch fire, it happens with some regularity – and the numbers are increasing.

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has so far reported more than 130 such fires in 2022. These fires have resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries. In 2019, the first year FDNY started tracking e-bike fires, only 13 were reported.”