o, CA 95814

NEW YORK -- A firefighter was hurt battling a blaze Sunday (October 22, 2023) inside a storage warehouse in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where hundreds of e-bikes and other mobility devices were being stored. 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.

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.

While battling the blaze, a firefighter suffered smoke inhalation when his mask was dislodged. He's recovering at a local hospital.

Peter Ferraro

CEO, NYSSA