At least four people, including a 71-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, died Tuesday in a fire that swept out at an e-bike store in New York City. The fire broke out in the shop on the ground floor of a six-storey building and quickly spread. The reason, according to the chief of the city's fire department, is the presence of batteries in the store. "It is very clear that lithium ion batteries and electric bikes are the cause. There are a very large number of batteries and electric bikes. This place is known to firefighters. We've seen violations there before," said Laura Kavanagh, head of the New York City Fire Department.
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Two other victims are in critical condition according to firefighters. According to Laura Kavanagh, the number of fires related to these batteries is increasing in the city. "If we include this fire, we have 108 cases related to lithium ion batteries and 13 deaths (this year). This is significantly more than last year. I think we were down to two at this time last year," she said.