Lithium ion battery fires have been on the rise across the country since about 2019 due to the increasing number of e-bikes and scooters on the road.
Cheddar’s own Ashley Mastronardi spoke to a business owner who was personally affected by an e-bike blaze.
"You see your livelihood is burning, it’s not easy to see," said Khalid Raja, owner of Quality Discount Inc., which was damaged in a five-alarm fire that started with a faulty e-bike lithium battery
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 25,000 lithium-ion battery fires reported in a five-year period.
The New York City Fire Department said these fires are happening all over the country and offered some tips for how to stay safe, including never plugging a battery-powered bike into a power strip and avoiding charging bikes at night.
Five people were killed and two children were wounded in a shooting in Philadelphia as police arrested a suspect who was wearing a bulletproof arrest. Meanwhile in Fort Worth, Texas, three died and eight were hurt as police said several men were shooting at random near a festival celebrating July 4th.
Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, is filing the civil rights complaint on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England, alleging that Harvard’s admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.
