Six people died in a fire that roared through a residential home in New York City early on Thursday and seven others were injured, including three firefighters, the city’s fire department said.
The major fire was reported in the early hours in Brooklyn and brought more than 200 first responders rushing to attend to the blaze and those trapped by it, in the city borough’s Sunset Park neighborhood.
It took about three hours to bring the blaze under control after it spread throughout the building and to another home, and the cause was being investigated. Flames tore through a two-storey house after the fire ignited on 58th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue at about 1.40am on Thursday, witnesses and the authorities said.
A lithium-ion battery, or possibly two, was found at the scene, but it was unknown if that was related to the cause of the fire, the New York fire department (FDNY) said.
However, there has been an increase nationwide of fires sparked by the batteries, which are used in e-bikes, electronic chargers and various household devices.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, praised firefighters and first responders when he appeared on television early on Thursday.
“We are currently tracking this fire that claimed the lives of six New Yorkers. It is devastating, and it is a reflection of a number of things. One, I want to always acknowledge the courage of our firefighters, who go in every single day, no matter what the level of danger is, looking to save people’s lives,” he said.
Second, the mayor said, he wanted to address fire prevention and safety.
“We are investigating what the cause of this fire is, but I can tell you that e-bike fires as a whole have increased to more than 400 fires this year [in New York City]. They are something that can cause people to lose their lives as well as their livelihoods. We are really looking at every avenue, we have to keep them safe,” Mamdani added, as reported by ABC News.
Four people died at the scene of Thursday’s blaze, the FDNY said, and two people with critical injuries were pronounced dead at the hospital. Four people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries. No names or ages of the victims had been released early on Thursday morning.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
