FDNY: Firefighter injured battling blaze at Brooklyn storage unit containing e-bikes, lithium-ion batteries
NEW YORK -- A firefighter was hurt battling a blaze Sunday inside a storage warehouse in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where hundreds of e-bikes and other mobility devices were being stored.
CBS New York spoke to nearby residents who are worried about their safety.
A lot of people were alarmed to see just how many bikes and batteries were stored inside the facility. Most of the street has since been cleaned up, but there were many items firefighters dragged out of the burning storage unit.
Video shows smoke pouring out of the Stop and Stor self-storage warehouse on 63rd Street and Sixth Avenue.
"My God, this is unbelievable," a man named Roberto said.
READ MORE: FDNY: Lithium-ion battery fire leaves 5 hurt, including 2 children, in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Fire officials responded to a call at around 1 p.m. from a manager who said a storage unit was on fire.
"They opened up the storage unit. Inside the storage unit, they were encountered with three e-bikes or mopeds on fire," FDNY Assistant Chief Michael Myers said.
Those burned bikes were seen on the street out front. Fire officials said they also later pulled 300 bikes and batteries from an adjacent second unit, many of them in boxes.
"These batteries, any moment, even if you have them in your house, they're gonna blow. Don't know when they're defected," one person said.
Fire officials said the sprinkler system was working, but the fire was too overwhelming.
"When fire suppression systems were designed a long time ago, no one had the bikes or a batteries in mind,. So what happens is this fire suppression system, they're not designed to put out enough water, the copious amount of water, it takes to put out the batteries or any kind of electrical fire," Myers said.
READ MORE: New York City Council approves lithium-ion battery trade-in program
While battling the blaze, a firefighter suffered smoke inhalation when his mask was dislodged. He's recovering at a local hospital.
"Very hazardous building at the storage units. You never know what you're going to encounter behind those closed doors. It's a snake, tight corridor. You're going in there in smoke-filled conditions," Myers said.
CBS New York tried to ask a staff member at Stop and Stor if bikes and batteries are allowed to be stored here, but they locked the doors and didn't respond to calls and emails for comment.
Stop and Stor's website has a list of items not allowed, including flammable materials, anything that can explode or catch on fire. However, it doesn't specifically list e-bikes or lithium-ion batteries.
"I don't think storage would allow that. That's why I'm surprised," Roberto said.
"I don't know how they got these bikes in the storage. I have no clue," Dennis Gentile said. "Come on, gotta get them off the streets. It's killing people."
According to the FDNY, lithium-ion batteries have caused 222 fires, 121 injuries and 14 fatalities so far this year.
The City Council will hold a hearing on Monday morning safety standards for lithium-ion batteries and their ongoing efforts to prevent the dangerous and often deadly fires.
As for Sunday's fire, officials are still looking into the cause.
