Four dead in Bronx apartment fire caused by e-bike battery

Four people, including an 11-year-old child, two teenagers aged 15 and 16, and a 33-year-old woman, died in a fire at the Patterson Houses housing complex in Mott Haven, Bronx. A 37-year-old man remains hospitalized in stable condition.

Preliminary investigations by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) determined the blaze originated from a thermal failure of a lithium-ion battery belonging to a personal mobility vehicle parked inside an 11th-floor apartment. Firefighters reported that the electric vehicle was positioned near main exits, blocking evacuation routes for the occupants.

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore and Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued urgent warnings regarding the handling and charging of these devices. Bonsignore advised residents to use only certified batteries and cautioned against leaving devices charging while sleeping. Officials noted that 401 lithium-ion battery fires have been recorded across New York City so far this year, an increase from the 292 cases reported during the same period last year.