NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A charging e-bike battery may have caused a fatal fire in Queens that claimed the life of a 93-year-old woman, and injured two others, authorities said.
The victim, Kam Mei Koo, was found unconscious and unresponsive on the second floor of 98-01 101st Ave, the FDNY said. She was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Who was Kam Mei Koo?
Her son, Jack, had gone out to pick up his daughter Friday and came back to see the building engulfed in flames. “I ran past the Fire Department and the ambulance 'Where is my mom?’" Jack said as reported by New York Post.
"I only cared about my mom,” he said on Saturday, “I feel really, really bad." He described his mom as “a nice person” who enjoyed walking but needed his care.
“She raised me, fed me, took care of me... I didn’t expect the fire. That’s really bad.” Reportedly, an e-bike was also found at the scene and FDNY told the publication the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Jack had bought a new battery on eBay for $200
Jack had bought a new battery on eBay for $200 that arrived on August 3, and added, “I will tell you one thing, the battery had problem, not the bike.” He said he came from China with $200 and had nothing.
“I can make it back….but life, I cannot make it back.”
Dharender Kumar, an owner of 101 Lucky Delia, who witnessed the situation told the outlet that he saw Marie Rodriguez “hanging onto the window. Half her body was outside the window and the other half was inside the apartment. She was shouting, ‘Save me, save me.'”
He and an employee brought two ladders to the scene, but the FDNY took over and rescued Rodriguez, 67, who was treated for smoke inhalation at Jamaica Hospital and released.
Her husband, Thomas Rodriguez, 61, said his wife was still “in a lot of pain” Saturday and had bruises on her arms and legs.
E-bikes claimed 149 fires this year
Their kitchen is above the hallway on the first floor where the bike was being charged. The husband regretted that he saw the bike plugged in when he left for work at 7 a.m. “I was going to unplug it but Jack was there. I should have went with my gut,” he said.
He said his wife heard some “popping sound and then saw the smoke” and noted that she survived because she had her door closed and “it bought her time.” Firefighters also saved their 3-pound Yorkie, Penny, who was trapped inside after smoke filled the apartment.
The publication noted that E-bike batteries have been blamed for 149 fires that killed 13 people and injured 88 others this year through August 7, a figure compiled by the Fire Department.
