Six people died and several others were injured after a three-alarm fire engulfed a home in Brooklyn, New York, early Thursday morning. The fire began just before 1:40 a.m. on 58th Street in Sunset Park.
Flames were seen shooting from the windows of the two-story building, and officials believe the fire started on the second floor before spreading. Four adults were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others, a man and a woman, died en route to the hospital. Four residents and three firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and another victim was in critical condition.
Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, with thick smoke filling the air and extensive charring visible on the building's exterior. Investigators found two lithium-ion batteries at the scene and are working to determine if they were a factor in the fire, the cause of which remains under investigation.
The fire displaced multiple residents, and the American Red Cross is providing temporary housing assistance. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the FDNY's efforts and highlighted the increasing number of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries. He noted that e-bike fires alone have caused over 400 fires this year.
This incident follows a recent fatal fire in the Bronx where a mother and three children died. Before this Brooklyn fire, seven people had died in lithium-ion battery-related fires in the city this year.