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.
The teenager was airlifted to a hospital Tuesday for injuries including nine broken vertebrae, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung and a concussion. He was discharged Saturday.
Authorities are also warning that the effort to find and identify the dead is just beginning. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Saturday that crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area.
Some doctors say the drug should be held for three weeks before sedation to accommodate the delayed emptying of the stomach, which can cause patients to inhale food and liquid into their lungs.
