Brooklyn grandfather, 69, killed in lithium-ion battery fire - silive.com

A 69-year-old grandfather was killed in Brooklyn Wednesday, the victim of fire sparked by an e-bike battery explosion that trapped him in his Brighton Beach apartment, the Daily News reported.

The FDNY said the victim, Georgiy Kizyun, was unable to evacuate his second-floor home on Brighton 3rd Street near Brightwater Court as the battery stored in the apartment blew up and ignited the blaze at around 3:40 p.m., the report said.

“The device was blocking the egress of the person that succumbed to their injuries,” FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn told reporters. “Do not put these devices between you and the front door. You have to have a plan. Make sure you can get out.”

While Kizyun died at the scene, his daughter and her husband, with whom he lived, were both hospitalized with serious burns and other injuries, the report said.

“Do not try to extinguish these fires,” Flyn warned. “Call 911 as quickly as possible. You will not be able to put these things out on your own. You need the Fire Department to put them out.”

The FDNY said one firefighter also suffered injuries fighting the fire but is expected to recover, the report said.

There have been four fatal fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the city this year, according to the FDNY.

“This is number four and it’s too many,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker. “I will not stop talking about unregulated lithium-ion batteries and the dangers that they cause until we’re at zero.”

A Staten Island family of 10 was left displaced this past July after a lithium-ion battery from an electric scooter ignited and gutted their Port Richmond apartment.

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