Bronx apartment fire caused by e-bike battery kills child

An 11-year-old boy died and four family members were left in critical condition following a lithium-ion battery fire in a Bronx apartment on Wednesday. The blaze occurred in an 11th-floor unit within the Patterson Houses in Mott Haven around 12:50 a.m.

According to the FDNY, the fire was sparked by an electric scooter being charged in the kitchen. The placement of the device near the entrance blocked the exit, trapping the residents inside. The victims include the boy, his two brothers, his father, and his father’s girlfriend. The father, who had acquired the e-bike second-hand, was placed in a medically induced coma.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the incident as a tremendous tragedy, noting that the e-bike was positioned in a way that made it impossible for residents to leave the apartment safely. The boy passed away at Jacobi Medical Center, while the other four victims remain hospitalized with serious injuries.