FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker provides update on fatal 2-alarm fire in Queens

July 8, 2025

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker provided an update on a fatal 2-alarm fire at Box 4455 in Queens.

The fire took place Friday, July 4, inside a pizza restaurant. A 76-year-old woman was using the restroom in the restaurant when a lithium-ion battery on an e-bike parked outside the restroom exploded. The woman was transported to a hospital, where she later died.

This is the first death related to a lithium-ion battery fire in 2025.

"We are working so hard every day in the FDNY to message that e-mobility devices do not belong inside. You cannot charge them inside, and you must buy certified UL batteries," FDNY Commissioner Tucker said. "These fires are treacherous. They move very quickly. They are very hot."

The FDNY reminds New Yorkers to charge and store lithium-ion batteries and micromobility devices outside, wherever possible. 

The fire took place Friday, July 4, 2025, inside a pizza restaurant in Queens. A 76-year-old woman was using the restroom in the restaurant when a lithium-ion battery on an e-bike parked outside the restroom exploded. The woman was transported to a hospital, where she died.