Fordham business open following fire outside of store over weekend

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Charo Food Corps. was open on Monday after a fire broke outside of the store Sunday just before 6:45 a.m. on Sunday. The FDNY tells News 12 that four units responded to the fire, and they were able to get it under control in less than an hour. Fire officials say they required personnel in hazmat suits to remove a battery from the scene. The FDNY says the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Eddie, a Charo Food Corps. worker, tells News 12 he saw it come from one of their e-bike charging stations they use for deliveries. Eddie says the business took precautions of their own recently, in wake of an increase in battery fires. “The store was really paranoid about all that with the bikes and batteries exploding so about a year ago, he had that box made especially to charge them outside the store,” said Eddie. Eddie tells News 12 if the fire was inside, it would have been a different story. "It would be over," said Eddie. The NYC Department of Transportation is discussing allowing businesses to have battery swapping and charging stations outside of their buildings. A NYC DOT official tells News 12 the goal is to regulate these batteries and move these stations outside of buildings in an attempt to precent incidences like this one. "