Lithium-Ion Fires Are Up Sharply in NYC. What Shops, Restaurants and Delivery Businesses Need to Know

NEW YORK — A fire early Wednesday in a Bronx public housing apartment killed a child and critically injured four other people, and the FDNY says an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery caused it, Gothamist reported. Firefighters found the e-bike in the kitchen near the apartment’s entrance at the Patterson Houses in Mott Haven.

The tragedy comes in a year when the numbers are moving the wrong way. According to FDNY data cited by Gothamist, lithium-ion batteries have caused more than 400 fires across the city this year, with 74 injuries and six deaths. That compares with 292 fires, 51 injuries and one death last year.

E-bikes and their batteries are tied up with how a lot of New York small businesses work. Restaurants depend on delivery riders, bike shops and electronics stores sell devices and replacement batteries, and couriers and other businesses use e-bikes to get around. Here is what the city requires and what the FDNY recommends.

If You Sell, Rent or Lease E-Bikes or Batteries

Since 2023, under Local Law 39, businesses in New York City cannot sell, lease or rent e-bikes, other powered mobility devices or their batteries unless the products are certified to safety standards by an accredited testing laboratory. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) spells out the details on its micromobility page:

• E-bikes must be certified to UL standard 2849.
• E-scooters, hoverboards, e-skateboards and similar devices must be certified to UL standard 2272.
• The lithium-ion batteries used in those devices must be certified to UL standard 2271.
• Products must display the logo, wordmark or name of the accredited lab that certified them. If you sell online, the certification has to appear on each product listing page.
• You must keep proof of certification for each product for three years.
• Since Sept. 25, 2024, stores must post the DCWP and FDNY Battery Safety Information where these products are sold. Online sellers must link to it on each product page. The notice is available in English and 11 other languages on DCWP’s site.

DCWP also publishes an inspection checklist for these products and a list of labs it considers accredited, though it notes the list may not be complete. Customers can report a business that sells uncertified devices by emailing DCWP or calling 311. If you have compliance questions, DCWP lists its Business Compliance Counsel at BCC@dcwp.nyc.gov.

What to do now: Walk your shelves and your website. Check that every device and battery you sell shows a certification mark from an accredited lab, that you have the paperwork on file, and that the safety notice is posted. Be especially careful with cheap replacement batteries from new suppliers.

If Your Staff or Riders Use E-Bikes

Even if you don’t sell anything with a battery, your business may store or charge them. Restaurant back rooms, small warehouses and storefronts often end up as places where delivery workers park and charge bikes.

At Wednesday’s briefing, Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore repeated the department’s core safety advice, according to Gothamist:

• Charge and store lithium-ion batteries outside when possible.
• Never let a device block an exit, door or window. The Bronx fire started in a spot that “made it impossible for the residents to leave safely,” Bonsignore said.
• Never charge batteries while people are sleeping or not in the room.
• Buy only batteries certified by national testing organizations such as UL.
• Do not use batteries that are leaking, damaged or smoking.

“Lithium-ion battery fires are extremely dangerous because they spread fast and ferociously,” Bonsignore said, because the cells go into “thermal runaway,” which turns a small fire into a big one very quickly.

What to do now: Set a simple house rule. Decide where bikes can be parked and charged, keep that spot away from doors and exits, and make sure no one leaves batteries charging after closing or unattended. Write the rule down and tell every worker, including new and part-time staff.

A Note on Help for Delivery Workers

The city’s E-Bike Trade-In Program, run by the Department of Transportation, let eligible food delivery workers swap uncertified e-bikes, illegal mopeds and their batteries for a certified e-bike and a spare battery. The DOT says that program ended in 2025, so restaurant owners shouldn’t send workers looking for it. Check the DOT’s e-bike page for any new programs before passing along advice.

The Bottom Line

The rules for sellers are clear and have been in place since 2023. The bigger gap is often everyday habits: where bikes are charged, for how long, and whether anyone is watching. For a small business, a few minutes spent setting those habits costs little. A fire in a storefront or the apartments above it costs far more.

Entrepreneurs Of New York is an independent publication. This article is general information, not legal or fire-safety advice. For official guidance, see the FDNY and DCWP.