As the first victim of a deadly fire in the early morning hours of June 20 at 80 Madison Street is set to be laid to rest. A long-established Chinatown nonprofit is helping families cope and make funeral arraignments. The Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) who have been in contact with displaced tenants and victims of the fire caused E-bike batteries. AAFE staff have been busy identifying possible housing within it’s own network of properties it manages. AAFE is fronting the funds to victim’s families for burial costs and created a fundraising effort with 100% of funds raised to defray costs and aid displaced tenants and victims. Anyone wishing to donate can do so through link below.
According to the FDNY the E-bike repair shop located at 80 Madison Street had been cited several times resulting in fines. Violations included improper battery storage and electrical wiring issues. Typically, an E-bike repair shop would also offer battery charging services for delivery workers and the general public but many shop owners in an effort to maximize profits overload their electrical capacity by using multiple extension cords.
Although the early investigation listed the cause of fire as “accidental” it remains to be seen if any criminality was involved on part of the repair shop’s owner. The Lower East Side has a high concentration of E-bike repair shops which double as charging stations all located in century old tenement buildings which has residents of these buildings on edge.
Mayor Eric Adams and the city council recently announced funding for a program to install “outside” charging stations near NYCHA complexes but there was no mention of widespread installation of the charging kiosks for E-bike users not living in NYCHA buildings. The installation of kiosks is slated to begin early 2024 which may be a “too little too late” response. There is also a proposal to buy new UL listed batteries to replace older ones. The average E-bike delivery worker has a 12-hour shift requiring older batteries which does not hold a charge to b charged multiple times daily.
