A fire broke out at an e-bike shop in Richmond Hill, Queens Thursday morning. It’s the second fire to tear through the location in less than two years, according to the FDNY.

Workers hauled away burned bikes and cleaned up other charred debris at the site after the fire. The city’s Department of Buildings has issued a full vacate order for the property, saying it’s too dangerous for anyone to be inside.

What You Need To Know

  • A fire broke out at an e-bike shop in Richmond Hill, Queens Thursday morning. One firefighter suffered minor injures
  • It’s the second fire to tear through the location in less than two years. In March 2023, the FDNY said a bad lithium-ion battery caused a fire at the shop

  • The FDNY said the call for a fire at a two-story building near Jamaica Avenue and 104th Street came in around 2:30 a.m.

The FDNY said the call for a fire at a two-story building near Jamaica Avenue and 104th Street came in around 2:30 a.m. One firefighter suffered minor injures, but firefighters extinguished the flames in less than an hour.

In March 2023, the FDNY said a bad lithium-ion battery caused a fire at the same location. On Thursday afternoon, fire officials determined the cause to be a lithium-ion battery yet again. The battery exploded but was not charging at the time, the FDNY said in a social media post.

Some nearby business owners said the recurrence of fire has them concerned.

“People got to make a living, you understand? But you got to be more careful, that’s all,” deli co-owner Isaac Ali said.

“It would be crazy to come to open up your business thinking you’re gonna have a regular day and something happens, but I also feel the pain he’s going through, because he’s also got money invested,” barbershop owner Jose Gregory said.

The fire comes following efforts by the FDNY to stem fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in devices like e-bikes and e-scooters.

NY1 recently learned that for nearly a year, city inspectors have been trying to ensure that such devices have safety certifications required by city law.

Several hundred summonses and more than $42,000 in fines have been issued by the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.