FDNY: Battery triggers fire at bike shop in Queens

Bike shop fire

A lithium-ion battery sparked a fire that ripped through a bike shop and part of a building in Astoria, Queens, on Monday afternoon.

NEW YORK - A lithium-ion battery sparked a fire that ripped through a bike shop and part of a building in Queens on Monday afternoon.

More than 100 firefighters responded to a fire at 30-05 41st Street in Astoria just before 2 p.m., the FDNY said. The fire burned the first and second floors of a mixed-use building, authorities said. The FDNY said the building is not fireproof.

Firefighters got the two-alarm fire under control in just over an hour.

Fire marshals determined that the lithium-ion battery of either an e-bike or e-scooter that was charging at 5 Hermanos Bike Shop malfunctioned and caused the fire, the FDNY.

Two firefighters were taken to hospitals to be treated for minor injuries, the department said.

Dangers of lithium-ion batteries

A lithium-ion battery in an e-scooter overheated while it was charging and sparked a fire that swept through a bike shop in Queens. The FDNY has safety tips for using devices with lithium-ion batteries.