(Yicai) Feb. 26 -- Fifteen people have been killed by a fire that broke out in a parking area reserved for electric bikes in a six-storey apartment building in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

Forty-four residents were hospitalized, with one in critical condition, one in serious condition, and the rest with minor injuries resulting from the blaze on Feb. 23, a local authority report said the day after. Many were suffering from smoke inhalation, and 516 were relocated to five hotels.

The fire started in the block’s above-ground parking area for e-bikes, with the exact cause still under investigation, according to the report.

Unsuitable battery technology, improper charging, and illegal modifications of e-bikes could all potentially lead to fire hazards in these vehicles, analysts pointed out.

There were nearly 18,000 fires caused by e-bikes and related battery malfunctions in 2021, resulting in 57 deaths, according to data from the National Fire and Rescue Administration. There were more than 21,240 such fires the year after, while incomplete figures show they reached 21,000 last year.

Editor: Martin Kadiev