6 killed after possible lithium-ion battery fire traps residents inside burning Brooklyn home
At least 6 dead in Brooklyn fire; lithium-ion battery investigated
At least six people are dead and several others injured after a fast-moving three-alarm fire tore through three homes in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, early Thursday morning. FDNY officials say the blaze broke out on 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, causing an interior staircase to collapse and leaving occupants trapped on the upper floor. A hazmat team responded to the scene after lithium-ion batteries were discovered inside, which fire marshals are actively investigating as a potential cause.
NEW YORK - A raging three-alarm fire destroyed a home in Sunset Park early Thursday morning, leaving at least six people dead and two others hospitalized.
What we know:
The FDNY received a call just after 1:30 a.m. reporting a fire on 58th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The blaze quickly escalated from a two-alarm fire to a three-alarm response, engulfing two homes in flames and damaging a third.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others died after being transported to the hospital. Two additional victims remain hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and three firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the flames.
According to FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso, who reported from the scene Thursday morning, the staircase inside the home where the fire started had collapsed. Authorities are working to determine if the victims were trapped on the second floor when the stairs gave way.
A neighbor told FOX 5 NY that by the time he ran outside, the fire was rapidly spreading, and he never saw anyone emerge from the primary home. He recalled watching paramedics pull victims from the building and perform CPR on the street.
The New York City Department of Buildings ordered the third damaged home to be vacated.
What we don't know:
The identities of the six victims have not been released. The FDNY fire marshal is actively investigating the exact cause of the fire, but officials noted that a hazmat team was requested due to the presence of lithium-ion batteries at the scene.
What's next:
The FDNY and the fire marshal's office continue to investigate the cause of the blaze. Mayor Eric Adams and fire officials are expected to hold a press conference later Thursday morning to provide further updates.
This tragedy comes just one week after a deadly fire at the Patterson Houses in the Bronx, which officials said was sparked by a lithium-ion battery. That fire claimed the lives of a mother and her three children.
The Source: This article was written using on-scene reporting from FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso on Good Day New York.