E-bike battery fires keep rising in NYCHA buildings despite charging rules, records show

Lithium-ion battery fires inside New York City Housing Authority buildings have climbed since the authority chose charging rules over an outright e-bike ban, and NYCHA has done little to enforce them, THE CITY reported Friday, two days after a battery fire at the Patterson Houses in the Bronx killed an 11-year-old boy.

NYCHA counted 13 e-bike battery fires in its properties in 2024, the first year of the rules, and 22 so far in 2026, for a total of 53 since the policy took effect, according to THE CITY.

What the rules say

After several fatal fires in 2023, NYCHA weighed banning e-bikes from its property but backed off after objections that many residents depend on the bikes for work, THE CITY reported. The compromise:

• Each household may charge only one battery at a time.
• Batteries must be safety-certified.
• No charging in front of an entrance door or anywhere that could block an escape route.
• An adult 18 or older must be awake while a battery charges.

Breaking the rules is a lease violation. But NYCHA told THE CITY it has started only three termination-of-tenancy cases over them. Battery charging is not on the authority's annual apartment inspection form or on the "Five Alive" checklist workers fill out during repairs; staff are told to report problems verbally to a supervisor, who talks to the tenant, the outlet reported.

The Patterson Houses fire

The FDNY got the call around 12:50 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, for a fire in an 11th-floor apartment at 320 Morris Avenue in Mott Haven, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference that morning. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the fire started in the kitchen, where an e-bike sat in the path to the exit door, making it impossible for the family to get out. Firefighters forced the door and crawled past the flames to search the apartment, fire officials said.

The boy, identified by ABC7 as 11-year-old Zion Maine, died after being taken to a hospital. Four relatives, including two teenagers, remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, ABC7 reported. THE CITY noted that the apartment had a routine NYCHA maintenance check in March and that staff did not see improper charging then.

NYCHA chief executive Lisa Bova-Hiatt told reporters that charging a battery at an entryway is a lease violation, but that the authority's main goal is to keep people housed, THE CITY reported. NYCHA said it will provide relocation services to the family and repair the damaged apartments, and it mails the FDNY's battery-safety bulletin to every household each year.

A citywide problem

Lithium-ion batteries have caused 401 fires in the city so far this year, with 74 injuries and six deaths, compared with 292 fires, 51 injuries and one death last year, Bonsignore said at the news conference.

FDNY battery safety tips

• Charge and store e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries outside when possible.
• Never let a device or battery block a door, exit or window.
• Don't charge while you're asleep or out of the room.
• Buy batteries certified by a national testing lab such as UL, use the manufacturer's charger, and stop using any battery that is leaking, damaged or smoking.

Source: FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, Oct. 28 news conference.