NEW YORK CITY, NY - Authorities with the FDNY said that on the 4th of July a 76-year-old grandmother was killed when an e-bike battery exploded like a "blowtorch" inside a Queens pizzeria, trapping her as she tried to leave the bathroom.
On Tuesday, July 8th, officials said that Yuet Kiu Cheung was engulfed by the flames when the device erupted inside Singas Famous Pizzeria on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing around 3:00 p.m. on the holiday, the New York Post reported.
The incident marked the city's first deadly fire attributed to lithium-ion batteries this year.
"These things take off very, very quickly with a blowtorch effect," Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.
"This woman was in the bathroom. She went to the bathroom for one minute. She was trapped. She could not get out of the bathroom because the device was stored directly outside the bathroom," he added.
Cheung's son, Tommy Ou Yang, said that his mother was shopping with a friend when they decided to stop at the pizzeria.
He said she heard "three explosions" and smelled a strange odor as she used the bathroom.
"It was a weird smell and all of a sudden the black smoke comes out," he said.
Cheung had to pass the explosive flames on her way out of the restroom toward the exit, but couldn't get there quite fast enough, according to FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker.
"For me to find my mom burnt like a roast pig, almost 100 percent of her whole body, is a memory I cannot forget," Yang said.
His mother was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died from her extensive injuries the next day. "She's a very loving parent, a loving grandmother," he son said. "All her grandchildren, they all miss her."
"The neighborhood, everybody loves her," he added.
"She's always very friendly with everybody, tries to help everyone." There were four other people inside the pizzeria at the time of the fire and all of them managed to escape.
The fire left the eatery in shambles and the charred bike remained at the scene as of Tuesday.
"These fires are treacherous," Tucker said.
"They move very quickly. They are very hot. And you know, you don't have many feet to move before you're overtaken by the fumes and the smoke and the flames."
In 2024, six fatal fires were caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries, and more than 20 in 2023, Tucker said.
"One is too many, and I will not stop talking about safety around lithium-ion batteries and e-mobility devices until the number is zero," the commissioner said.
Flynn urged users of the devices to never store them inside a home or business, or near an entrance or exit.
"It's a tremendous tragedy, and the problem persists here," the fire marshal added. "This has not gone away."
On Tuesday, July 8th, officials said that Yuet Kiu Cheung was engulfed by the flames when the device erupted inside Singas Famous Pizzeria on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing around 3:00 p.m. on the holiday, the New York Post reported.
The incident marked the city's first deadly fire attributed to lithium-ion batteries this year.
"These things take off very, very quickly with a blowtorch effect," Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.
"This woman was in the bathroom. She went to the bathroom for one minute. She was trapped. She could not get out of the bathroom because the device was stored directly outside the bathroom," he added.
Cheung's son, Tommy Ou Yang, said that his mother was shopping with a friend when they decided to stop at the pizzeria.
He said she heard "three explosions" and smelled a strange odor as she used the bathroom.
"It was a weird smell and all of a sudden the black smoke comes out," he said.
Cheung had to pass the explosive flames on her way out of the restroom toward the exit, but couldn't get there quite fast enough, according to FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker.
"For me to find my mom burnt like a roast pig, almost 100 percent of her whole body, is a memory I cannot forget," Yang said.
His mother was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died from her extensive injuries the next day. "She's a very loving parent, a loving grandmother," he son said. "All her grandchildren, they all miss her."
"The neighborhood, everybody loves her," he added.
"She's always very friendly with everybody, tries to help everyone." There were four other people inside the pizzeria at the time of the fire and all of them managed to escape.
The fire left the eatery in shambles and the charred bike remained at the scene as of Tuesday.
"These fires are treacherous," Tucker said.
"They move very quickly. They are very hot. And you know, you don't have many feet to move before you're overtaken by the fumes and the smoke and the flames."
In 2024, six fatal fires were caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries, and more than 20 in 2023, Tucker said.
"One is too many, and I will not stop talking about safety around lithium-ion batteries and e-mobility devices until the number is zero," the commissioner said.
Flynn urged users of the devices to never store them inside a home or business, or near an entrance or exit.
"It's a tremendous tragedy, and the problem persists here," the fire marshal added. "This has not gone away."
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