🏠 News From Your Neighborhood
Miami, FL
Miami Fire Rescue warns of e-bike battery fire risks as popularity grows
MIAMI — They’re increasingly common on city streets across Miami, weaving through traffic and keeping pace with cars. E-bikes have become a popular and convenient way to get around, but the lithium-ion batteries that power them are now drawing increased scrutiny from fire officials concerned about safety.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responds to dozens of incidents each month involving lithium-ion batteries.
“We average responding to 40 to 50 investigations a month,” said Capt. Gerard Forrester of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
As e-bike use continues to grow, Forrester said the batteries can quickly become dangerous, even when the bikes are not in motion and are simply charging.
Cellphone video captured firefighters battling an intense backyard fire that tore through a wooden shed in northeast Miami-Dade. Officials said the blaze illustrates how quickly lithium-ion battery fires can escalate.
“Sheds are not air-conditioned, and they get a couple hundred degrees and direct sunlight in Miami,” Forrester said.
Fire officials warn that storing or charging e-bikes near combustible materials can worsen the damage if a battery overheats.
“If you do have to leave it outside, don’t put it against the wall or any possible material near it, like paper or any kind of garbage that may, if it goes into thermal runaway, aid in the extension of the fire,” Forrester said.
A department demonstration shows how lithium batteries can overheat, particularly when exposed to direct sunlight.
“Direct sunlight is not the ideal thing,” Forrester said, adding that charging should be done carefully. “If you’re going to charge something, preferably it would be outside your garage.”
Earlier this month, fast-moving flames ripped through a duplex in the Brownsville neighborhood of northwest Miami-Dade. Investigators said an e-bike left charging inside the home is now at the center of the investigation.
“People are losing everything, and it’s devastating for our community,” Forrester said.
Fire officials emphasized that lithium-ion battery fires are especially difficult to extinguish.
“A lithium battery vehicle or electric vehicle — you dunk it in water, it’s still going to burn,” Forrester said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue continues urging residents to take precautions when storing and charging e-bikes to reduce the risk of fire.
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Miami, FL
Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport
Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in and around Venezuela following the reported capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, triggering a ripple effect across Caribbean travel routes.
By Sunday, long lines had formed inside MIA as travelers waited hours to track down luggage that had been sent ahead — even though their flights never took off.
“As you can see, there’s a lot of people, and apparently thousands and thousands of bags,” said Jennifer Heimann, who was traveling from Tampa.
Heimann and her family were scheduled to sail on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. Their flight to St. Thomas was canceled, but their luggage still made the trip.
“They said, ‘Your bags are in St. Thomas,’ and I said, ‘Wait — our bags are there and we’re not?’” Heimann said. “We can’t even get a flight until Thursday, and they just sent the bags ahead.”
The family is now renting a car to drive back to Tampa and hoping their luggage eventually finds its way home.
Similar frustrations were echoed by other travelers across the terminal.
The Cookson family, traveling from Tyler, Texas, had their flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico canceled just before they were set to board a cruise.
“They’re shipping our bags out to the Caribbean and not allowing us to retrieve them,” said Pamela Cookson. “We don’t know when we’re going to get our luggage.”
American Airlines says it added six additional flights out of Miami, bringing the total to roughly two dozen extra flights and nearly 5,000 additional seats to help impacted customers. Even so, many passengers told CBS News Miami the earliest rebooking available wasn’t until Thursday.
Susan Daniel, traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas to St. Croix, said the delays forced her family to make last-minute arrangements.
“We had to Uber, leave our bags, get an Airbnb, then come back today, take another Uber, and stand in this long line just to hopefully get our bags and our computers — everything we need,” Daniel said.
Some travelers reported waiting hours in one line, only to be directed into another long wait for their luggage. Others tried to make the best of the situation.
“Guess we’re vacationing in Miami now for three days or something like that,” said Jake Boylin, who was traveling from St. Louis. “Then going back home and rescheduling the trip.”
The next unanswered question for many travelers: whether they’ll be reimbursed for canceled trips, hotels, and cruises.
Travel experts advise passengers to keep all receipts and documentation in case refunds or reimbursements become available.
Miami, FL
Venezuela supporters join Cuban Americans in Miami show of solidarity
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy opens fire on vehicle after altercation during traffic stop, officials say
An investigation is underway in Northwest Miami-Dade after the sheriff’s office said a deputy opened fire after an altercation occurred during a traffic stop on Sunday night.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a deputy received an alert about a stolen vehicle Sunday evening and eventually located the vehicle in the area of NW 17th Avenue and NW 95th Street in West Little River and conducted a traffic stop.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said that as the deputy approached the vehicle, an altercation began, and the deputy opened fire, striking the vehicle.
That vehicle then fled the scene and was located nearby.
The sheriff’s office said a gun was located inside the vehicle, and the driver fled the scene.
That person is still at large as of early Monday morning, officials said.
The deputy was not injured in the incident, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).
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