# City Council calls emergency hearing as NYC sees 68% uptick in lithium-battery fires

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/city-council-calls-emergency-hearing-as-nyc-sees-68-uptick-in-lithium-battery-fires/
- Published: 2026-11-06T20:28:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T21:39:09+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/06/us-news/city-council-calls-emergency-hearing-as-nyc-sees-68-uptick-in-lithium-battery-fires/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- NYC Council will hold a hearing on battery fire risks on 20 November.
- Battery-related fires rose 68% to 406 so far this year.
- Lithium-ion batteries were linked to nine deaths and 70 injuries.

## Summary

New York City Council plans an emergency hearing on 20 November to examine a 68% rise in fires linked to lithium-ion batteries this year. The hearing follows two fatal fires in Brooklyn and the South Bronx that killed a total of 10 people, prompting Council Speaker Julie Menin to call for stronger safety measures as e-bikes and e-scooters become more common.

Battery-related fires reached 406 so far this year, compared with 241 over the same period in 2025; the batteries were linked to nine deaths and 70 injuries this year. Residential-building fires overall rose 6% in the 2026 fiscal year, to 21,475 from 20,180, according to the mayor’s management report. The FDNY said the cause of the Sunset Park fire remains under investigation, and the hearing is due to include city agencies, safety experts, advocates and members of the public.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.