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The New York Fire Department recently reported that so far this year there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires in New York City, which have injured 66 people and killed 13. According to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, “There is not a small amount of fire, it (the vehicle) literally explodes.” The resulting fire is “very difficult to extinguish and so it is particularly dangerous.” Last year there were more than 200 fires from batteries from e-bikes, EVs and other devices. A fire ignited at an e-bike shop and killed four people near midnight on the morning of June 20. Two...

DEARBORN, Mich. — New video footage of a fire involving a Ford F-150 Lightning this year highlights a growing concern around electric vehicles: volatile fires from the batteries that power them. The previously unreleased footage, which CNBC obtained through Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act from the Dearborn Police Department, shows smoke billowing from three tightly packed electric pickups in a Ford Motor holding lot in Dearborn, Michigan. Moments later, flames shoot several feet above the vehicles, which were unoccupied. It wasn’t clear based on public documents and police video how long the fires burned. Experts say EV fires can take...

There's important information for the owners of tens of thousands of electric bikes. Stop using and charging them, because they're being recalled. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Jetson Electric Bikes announced the recall of about 53,000 electric bikes. The bikes are 42-volt Jetson Rogue self-balancing scooters/hoverboards, and the problem is with their lithium-ion battery packs. The batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard. ... The CPSC reported two sisters, 10 and 15 years old, were killed in a fire, and a 42-volt Jetson Rogue was the point of origin. The tragedy happened April 1, 2022, near Allentown, Pa.,...

We've talked about some of the problems associated with modern lithium ion battery powered vehicles in the past, but I don't think the possibility of incinerating your family as they sleep, or kids as they ride to school is something that can be taken too seriously. Think before you park one of these potential Hiroshima specials in your garage.

The new owner of the Playboy Mansion has agreed to maintain the facade in its original condition under an agreement with the city of Los Angeles. Daren Metropoulos entered into a permanent protection covenant for the 5-acre (2-hectare) property he bought for $100 million. He agreed to not demolish the 20,000-square-foot (1858-sq. meter) main residence as he proceeds with plans to connect the mansion and its grounds to his 2-acre plot next door. The deal, announced Tuesday by Councilman Paul Koretz, will remain in effect for future owners. City News Service says the designation stops short of giving the building...

Environmental scientists at the University of Nottingham have made a shocking and expensive discovery: eco-friendly buildings made of "sustainable" wood burn much more easily than eco-unfriendly ones made of stone, concrete, steel or glass. They made their surprise discovery over the weekend when their new Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry burned to the ground in what local firemen claimed was the biggest blaze in over a decade. The £15 million building had been erected according to the most rigorous environmental principles, made with a wooden frame and other "sustainable" materials, and powered with "renewable" energy, so that the structure...

Tumbleweeds overtake neighborhood and trap families in their homes Recent tornado-like winds have covered a Colorado Springs, Colorado neighborhood in tumbleweeds. The large dried plants have invaded the Cuchares Ranches subdivision to such a degree that some residents said they were trapped in their homes and had to call 911 for help. “I look outside and tumbleweeds are literally blowing up and over our house,” Melissa Walker told KRDO NewsChannel 13. “I didn’t expect to be able to jump from my second story window into a pile of tumbleweeds.” In some places, the tumbleweeds are stacked 10-feet high. As reported...

The Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City are preparing for the possibility of a punishing winter by erecting tents designed to withstand frigid temperatures. Some of the military grade tents are as big as tiny cottages. They began popping up Monday, with the first planned for medics and another designated as a safe space for women....

<p>For 25 years, a difficult-neighbor problem plagued Curtis and Elaine Colvin of Seattle. The neighbor's home and lawn resembled a junkyard. Finally, last spring, the elderly man was taken out of state by relatives.</p> <p>Konstantinos Apostolou bought the house — and sent in five men to clear the floor-to-ceiling junk. "It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life," says his son, George Apostolou. There was nowhere to walk, except for a narrow "goat path" connecting the rooms. The men hauled out seven Dumpsters' worth of clothes, books, magazines, spoiled food, firewood, car parts, tires, bank statements and 50-year-old tax records. "I feel bad for the guy," says Apostolou. "I'm sure he was ill."</p>

Doctors and nurses aren't surprised anymore when they walk into isolation rooms at Inova Fairfax Hospital and sick patients ask them whether their hands are clean. Years ago, such patients might be regarded as troublemakers, but now Inova's chief infection fighter, hospital epidemiologist Allan J. Morrison Jr., uses brochures to encourage patients to protect themselves by challenging caregivers' hand hygiene. "Anything that gets you talking about hand washing, anytime or anywhere, is music to the ears of an infectious disease professional," Morrison said. Medical experts at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enthusiastically agree with Morrison, and they...