Four people have been killed as a horror blaze breaks out at a New York electric bike shop with the fire reportedly caused by highly flammable lithium-ion batteries.
According to authorities, the fire began at around 12.15am on Tuesday inside the store on Madison Street, Lower East Side, as the flames spread to the sixth storey of the building above.
A nearby deli worker noticed the flames and immediately contacted the fire service, who arrived within minutes to try and put out the blaze.
Dozens of the e-bikes were pulled from the store and piled up in front of the building as firefighters battled to fight the flames.
Two women and two men were said to have died in the fire, according to officials. Two other women are said to be in a critical state after suffering horrendous burns.
All victims were taken to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Cornell burn unit - with a firefighter also treated at the scene for his injuries.
The New York City Fire Department tweeted: "At approx 12:15am, #FDNY Members responded to a fire at 80 Madison St where they found heavy fire in an e-bike store on 1st floor. Firefighters made interior attack. 7 injuries, 6 of them critical. 1 FF with minor injuries. Cause under investigation."
Deputy Assistant Chief John Sarrocco said the firefighters responded to the blaze in just four minutes after being informed of the explosion which was reportedly caused by lithium-ion batteries.
"We arrived in just about four minutes. We found heavy fire in an e-bike store, which is located on the first floor," he said.
The bike shop, which is part of a six-storey building, was reportedly not open at the time of the fire as residents were treated and released at the scene.
Eyewitness Belal Alayah said the fire kept getting "bigger and bigger" as it took officials multiple attempts to put the fire out.
She told ABC 7: "A friend of mine came in and yelled 'there's a fire next door. I step out, I see the flames so hot it's going through the metal gate. I knew it was the bike store, so I called the fire department, but the fire kept getting bigger and bigger and it took them awhile to stop the fire."
The New York American Red Cross confirmed it provided emergency housing to eight households including twenty three adults and two children following the fire which engulfed the apartments above the electronic bike store.
It tweeted: "After the fire on Madison Street in Manhattan, the Red Cross provided emergency housing to 8 households (23 adults/2 children."
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation with the fire now under control.
Electric bikes have become popular for making deliveries, commuting and travelling around a city that has promoted cycling in recent decades. Many run on lithium ion batteries, which have been blamed for numerous fires.
In April, in the Queens district of New York City, two children were killed in a fire blamed on an electric bicycle.
Another fire in Manhattan in November in which more than three dozen people were injured was caused by a malfunctioning e-bike battery, officials said.
Last year in the city, nearly 200 fires and six deaths were linked to such batteries, with an eight-year-old girl and a five-year-old girl among victims of blazes connected to scooter batteries. Fire officials have repeatedly issued warnings and safety tips.
Lithium ion batteries can catch fire because they contain a flammable electrolyte solution which allows electrical current to flow, experts say.
Many fires have been linked to such batteries in laptops, mobile phones and other devices.
