A fire at a two-story home in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, around 1:40 a.m. Thursday left six people dead and seven injured. Fire officials said a lithium-ion battery was found at the scene, but it is too early to say it caused the fire.
According to Gothamist, the fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. Thursday at a two-story home near 58th Street and 7th Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, killing six people and injuring seven. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died. As of Thursday morning, the two agencies had not released the identities of the victims.
The FDNY said flames were raging through several floors of the house when crews arrived. More than 200 firefighters and other personnel responded, and it took nearly three hours to bring the fire under control. Of the seven injured, four were civilians: one is in serious but not life-threatening condition, and the other three have minor injuries. Three firefighters were also treated for minor injuries.
Authorities said a lithium-ion battery was found at the scene but that it is too early to determine whether it started the fire. On Thursday morning, fire marshals examined a burned object that appeared to be an electric scooter, which firefighters had pulled out of the house, along with debris shoveled out of a window. Luis Ramos, 54, who lives across the street, said flames were shooting out of the entire house.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the scene Thursday morning that time and resources will be needed to help the fire's victims. Mamdani said the Red Cross has moved all of the displaced residents to hotels. Gothamist reported that the fire came less than a week after a lithium-ion battery fire in the Bronx that killed four members of one family, including 11-year-old Zion Maine.