Six people died and seven were injured when a fire tore through a two-story home in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, early Thursday. Over 230 emergency workers battled the blaze for nearly three hours on the 600 block of 58th Street. Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene; two others succumbed at NYU Langone Hospital. Two injured remain hospitalized, while three firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it a "devastating fire" at a news conference, noting a lithium-ion battery prompted a hazardous materials response. He highlighted that e-bike fires have surpassed 400 this year, causing six deaths and 74 injuries citywide, per Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. Last year saw 292 battery fires with one death.
The fire marks the city's second fatal battery-related blaze in weeks; four family members, including an 11-year-old, died in an Oct. 28 Bronx apartment fire. Firefighters arrived in 3 minutes 18 seconds to find heavy fire on all floors, rescuing four people — two survive. Stairs partially collapsed, and structural stability is being assessed.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing