Firefighters responded Friday evening last week to a blaze at King Electronic Hub in Queens, marking the second fire at the same location in two years. The e-bike shop, located at 119-07 Liberty Ave., drew about 60 fire and EMS personnel, according to abc7 New York. One person was injured and taken to a hospital, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation by fire marshals.
As reported by the New York Daily News, the shop previously caught fire on January 6, 2024, after a lithium-ion battery ignited. On Friday, firefighters arrived around 7:08 p.m. and brought the fire under control by 7:41 p.m., according to the FDNY.
In the 2024 incident, security footage showed e-bikes sparking and smoking before the fire began. The New York City Fire Department's post on X later confirmed that a lithium-ion battery caused that blaze. While investigators have not yet determined the cause of the recent fire, the similarity to the earlier event has drawn attention to safety issues involving lithium-ion batteries in e-bike shops.
Per FDNY Fire Marshals, cause of Saturday’s 2-alarm fire at an e-bike shop located at 119-07 Liberty Ave. in QNS was a lithium-ion battery. A DVR shows smoke coming from the battery - and within 20 seconds - you see a shower of sparks, flames, & explosions. We sped up the video. pic.twitter.com/aqouXmd2FV
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 8, 2024
The previous fire caused no injuries, unlike the most recent incident. Authorities continue to investigate the case to determine whether additional safety measures will be required.
