Death Toll Rises to Four in Bronx E-Bike Battery Fire at NYCHA Apartment

Four people have died after a lithium-ion battery powering an e-bike caught fire early Wednesday morning inside an 11th-floor apartment at NYCHA's Patterson Houses in Mott Haven, the Bronx. The burning device blocked the exit for one of the victims; firefighters found that person lying directly behind the door when they entered. An 11-year-old boy was killed in the initial blaze. In the days that followed, a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy, and a 33-year-old woman each died after being critically injured in the same fire. A 37-year-old man who was also hurt remains in stable condition, officials said. FDNY Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said lithium-ion batteries have started 401 fires across the five boroughs so far this year, up from 292 the previous year. Injuries climbed from 51 to 74, and deaths from one to six. Bonsignore and Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to purchase only certified batteries and warned that lithium-ion-powered devices should never be charged while sleeping.