At least 38 people were injured in a fire at a Manhattan apartment building early Saturday morning, which authorities believe was caused by a lithium-ion battery connected to a micromobility device.   

  Of the injuries, two were critical, five were serious and the rest were minor, Fire Commissioner Laura Cavanagh said at a news conference.  Officials did not provide further details about the injured.   

  A video shot from the opposite side of the high-rise shows a woman hanging from a window as dark smoke pours out of the building.  The video shows a firefighter using a rope to lower the building to help the woman.  The woman survived.   

  Authorities received calls of fire and smoke at the building on East 52nd Street shortly before 10:30 a.m., the commissioner said.  The address officials gave corresponds to a 37-story apartment building known as Rivercourt in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood, with 292 apartments, according to the building’s website.   

  Firefighters were on the scene in “just over three minutes” after first receiving reports and faced a “severe fire situation” on the 20th floor of the building, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb said during the news conference.   

  Two civilians were rescued from the burning apartment, Leeb said.  Fire personnel used ropes to make the rescues, he said.   

  “Fire, EMS and dispatch did an outstanding job rescuing a number of civilians, including an incredible roof rescue,” Kavanagh said, adding that fire personnel were working in “incredibly dangerous conditions.”   

  The fire was “close to our 200th fire this year where the cause of the fire is a lithium-ion battery from a micromobility device,” said Dan Flynn, the fire chief.   

  “We’re seeing an exponential increase (in these types of fires) … in recent years.  “These fires come without warning and when they do start, they are so intense that any flammable materials in the area will catch fire,” Flynn said.  “We’ve had six deaths this year just from these batteries powering micromobility devices.”   

  In January, a lithium-ion battery in an electric bicycle or scooter caught fire in a Bronx apartment and sparked a four-alarm fire that left a firefighter with minor injuries, CNN previously reported.  More than 100 fires were caused by e-bikes in 2021, resulting in 79 injuries and four deaths, according to the FDNY.   

  Authorities believe the tenant in the apartment where Saturday’s fire likely started was repairing bicycles in the building, Flynn said.   

  The fire likely started “right behind the front door,” Flynn added.  At least five bicycles were recovered from the apartment, he said.   

  “We’re moving into the cold winter season, fires are picking up, and so we’re really asking all New Yorkers to make sure they and their families are safe,” said Kavanagh, the fire commissioner.  “We also want to highlight the growing cause of fires from e-bikes and make sure families are making sure they are using them in the safest way possible, including not charging overnight while sleeping, including making sure they are certified and that the batteries they use have not been damaged in any way.”   

  Firefighters are at the scene and investigating, officials said.