A fatal fire caused by the explosion of a lithium-ion battery killed an elderly woman who lived above an electric bicycle repair shop in Queensreported the Fire Department and Buildings.
The fire of two alarmswhich took place on 101st Avenue near 98th Street in Ozone Park at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, killed 93-year-old Kam Mei Koo.
The son of the fatal victim, identified as Jack Koo, said he had plugged the electric bike’s battery into an outlet on the first floor when it exploded.
“The problem is not the electric bike, it is the battery”said Koo, owner of the battery that started the fire. “The battery exploded.”
Flares tore through the building and into an attic space where the old lady livedhe added.
For their part, inspectors from the Department of Buildings later revealed that the basement was being used as an electric bike repair shop and that the first floor of the two-story building had been illegally converted to add a loft apartmentagency officials said.
Koo denied the accusations against him.
Also, the Department of Buildings He gave Koo two tickets, one for illegal work without a permit to create the loft space on the first floor, and the other for trespassing on both the first floor and the basement.
On Saturday, Investigators issued an eviction order to completely vacate the building after finding extensive fire damage to both floors of the building.
Koo stated that he owned several electric bikes, but did not operate a repair shop in the basement of the building. and denied claims that the venue had been illegally modified in any way.
“I’m not an electric bike shop,” he said. “I do not do that. “The electric bike I use for myself.”
The man’s citation included a ticket for illegal electrical connection, which is punishable by a $12,000 fine.but Koo said that I thought the battery was safe and the wiring was in orderreported Daily News.
“They have to inspect the battery to make sure it’s not overheating… people buy [baterías para bicicletas eléctricas]. They don’t expect it to explode,” she said.
A family friend and neighbor said Koo was devastated to learn that the source of the deadly fire was his electric bike battery.
“Jack loved his mother”said Manuel Orellanna, 55. “He was destroyed when he found out what happened.”
In the first half of this year, 13 people lost their lives in fires involving electric bike batteriesaccording to the New York Fire Department.
death toll includes four people who died in Manhattan’s Chinatown in June when a fire started at an electric bike repair shop.
Keep reading:
