Bronx firefighters worked to subdue a harrowing five-alarm fire that broke out in the Tremont section of the borough Sunday morning.
Fire officials say the massive blaze broke out at a supermarket located at 2096 Grand Concourse just before 10:45 a.m. on March 5. Units arrived to find lithium-ion batteries in flames from several e-bikes parked at the location. According to FDNY Fire Marshals, the inferno was ignited by a lithium-ion battery inside of a scooter that was stored in the back of the store.
First responders were hindered by a double roof, part of which eventually caved in as the fire raged on. A mayday was eventually called and a short time later, firefighters working inside the building were evacuated — as were residents of nearby apartments, who could be seen spilling out onto the streets with their children and pets.
As of publication, multiple tower ladders had been put into operation and the Fire Department works to get the inferno under control.
Seven people were reported injured as of 2:15 p.m. — five firefighters, one EMS worker and one civilian. Close to 200 firefighters were on scene at that time, fire officials said.
The FDNY released a stunning video in which the scooter could be seen combusting into a ball of flames, something Mayor Eric Adams called chilling.
“The video is chilling,” Adams said on the scene. “When you saw how fast this fire started and spread, it just really gives you a point of pause to see what the commissioner has been stating for some time now. We have to really adopt to use of these batteries to make sure that the illegal batteries are not in the city and then we have to educate the public.”
Per FDNY Fire Marshals, the cause of today’s 5-alarm fire at 2096 Grand Concourse in the Bronx was a lithium-ion battery which powered a scooter. pic.twitter.com/HTifRojiJo
— FDNY (@FDNY) March 5, 2023
“A simple scooter like this people park normally where? They park it at their door and when these…
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