A child dies in a Bronx e-bike battery fire. Most of the Council's battery bills haven't had a hearing
Battery deaths have climbed from one last year to six so far in 2026, the FDNY says. Six Council bills on charging, storage and disposal have waited up to nine months.
A fire started by an e-bike's lithium-ion battery killed a boy and critically injured four relatives early Wednesday in an 11th-floor apartment at NYCHA's Patterson Houses in Mott Haven. The bike was in the kitchen and blocked the way out, fire officials said, NY1 reported. Firefighters forced the door and crawled past the flames to reach the family.
Why it matters to residents: the city had been winning against these fires, and this year the trend reversed. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said batteries have caused 401 fires in 2026 so far, injuring 74 people and killing six. Last year's totals were 292 fires, 51 injuries and one death, amNY reported. Bonsignore urged New Yorkers to buy certified batteries, never charge while asleep, and charge and store devices outside when they can. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the fire "a horrific reminder" of the danger, NY1 reported.
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What our records add
The FDNY credited laws for last year's drop. At a Fire and Emergency Management hearing on March 13, the department told the Council that battery fire deaths had fallen from a high of 18 in 2023 to one in 2025. It credited changes in the law, "including bills passed by this committee," along with its public education campaign. The six deaths so far this year are six times last year's total.
There is no separate battery budget. At a June 1 budget hearing, a Council member asked how much money goes specifically to lithium-ion enforcement, education and firefighting gear. An FDNY official answered that there isn't "a separate funding pot." The work is folded into the department's fire prevention and education budgets, the official said.
Most of this term's battery bills are still waiting. Our records show six Council bills on battery charging, storage or disposal. Only one has had a hearing:
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- Int. 961, from Oswald Feliz, would change the rules for battery charging areas for powered mobility devices. Introduced June 30, it has four sponsors and no hearing.
- Int. 582, from Jennifer Gutiérrez, would require businesses that use bikes for deliveries to give workers fireproof or fire-resistant battery containers. It has 10 sponsors and has waited 259 days.
- Int. 198, also from Gutiérrez, would create a battery safety certification for e-bike mechanics. It has five sponsors and has waited 273 days.
- Int. 341 and Int. 357, from Sandy Nurse, deal with battery disposal records and DOT battery-swap stations. Both have waited 273 days.
- Int. 352, also from Nurse, would have the Sanitation Department plan for safe battery disposal. It is the only one heard so far, at the Sanitation Committee on Oct. 15. There, DSNY said it now takes batteries at one drop-off site per borough and that battery makers should bear the main cost of collection. The bill was laid over.
The Council has also asked Albany to act. Res. 37, from Gale Brewer, backs state standards for e-bike batteries, and it has not moved.
Where the fire was. Mott Haven is in District 8, represented by Council Member Elsie Encarnación. The Committee on Fire and Emergency Management last met Oct. 20, on ambulance response times. Our committee page shows 26 items pending there, 21 of them for more than 180 days.
What's next
The FDNY says its fire marshals are still investigating. None of the battery bills is on a published agenda. Each would need a committee hearing and vote before going to the full Council. The next stated meeting is Nov. 12.