NEW YORK — Eighteen children were injured in a Queens house fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery on Wednesday, officials said.
The blaze broke out in the basement of the two-story house on in Kew Gardens Hills around 2:05 p.m., according to the FDNY.
“Companies arrived and found heavy fire in the basement,” said FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito.
Firefighters removed the 18 children from the house. One was seriously injured; the others suffered minor injuries.
One of the injured children was rescued from the basement, the FDNY said.
The fire was placed under control around 2:45 p.m., officials said.
On Friday in the same borough, a man was killed and 10 others were hospitalized when a charging e-bike sparked a fire.
The blaze was the first fatal fire of the year attributed to the batteries used in e-bikes and electric scooters. Last year, six people died in fires caused by the batteries.
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