Excerpts from cbsnews.com:

The FDNY made a major bust earlier this week while inspecting for illegal lithium-ion batteries. So far this year, the batteries have caused fires that have killed more than a dozen people, including four last week.

In Chinatown, the FDNY uncovered a ticking time bomb, as lithium-ion batteries were crammed next to each other, much closer than the required three feet apart, with residences above. To safely transport the batteries, firefighters need special barrels.

“Multiple fire hazards — damaged batteries, overloaded power strips,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh  said. “Using our thermal imaging, firefighters were able to identify the most dangerous batteries and remove them. As they were doing so, some of them caught fire.”

The inspection was part of expanded efforts announced last week to quickly respond to 311 calls regarding concerns about batteries being charged.

Batteries should not be charged overnight and should be kept outside.

Last week, four people died in a fire at an e-bike store in Lower Manhattan. The FDNY said there were more than 500 batteries in the store.

CBS New York mapped out the more than 300 lithium-ion battery fires since the start of last year and found clusters in working class zip codes in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, FDNY finds lithium-ion batteries stored improperly, lithion-ion battery fires