Three people were hospitalized after an e-bike caught fire inside a Morrisania apartment late Thursday, sending FDNY crews into a second-floor blaze near East 167th Street. Firefighters brought the flames under control quickly, but not before the battery-powered bike triggered a serious building emergency.
According to News 12 Bronx, crews responded around 11 p.m. to an apartment building on 3rd Avenue between East 167th and East 168th streets. The outlet reported that firefighters used ladders to reach the building’s upper floors after the e-bike caught fire inside a second-floor apartment. Three people were taken to hospitals, though the initial report did not include further details about their conditions.
Bronx Fire Highlights Persistent Battery Risk
The incident arrives amid a long-running citywide warning about lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other electric devices. In its published 2024 year-end figures, the New York City Fire Department said lithium-ion batteries were linked to 277 fires and six deaths that year, compared with 268 fires and 18 deaths in 2023.
FDNY guidance says residents should use batteries certified by an accredited testing laboratory, avoid aftermarket chargers and never charge a device while asleep or away. The department’s apartment safety bulletin also warns that damaged, modified or improperly used batteries can ignite rapidly and produce dangerous fires.
The Morrisania blaze follows another battery scare in the Bronx this year. In March, firefighters responding to a fire at the Mill Brook Houses found three e-bikes and a motorcycle in a fifth-floor hallway, according to Hoodline’s earlier report; no injuries were reported in that incident.
For residents in apartment buildings, the latest fire is a reminder that an e-bike can become a major hazard when stored or charged near living spaces and escape routes. The FDNY says batteries should be kept away from anything that can burn and should never block an exit.
