11-year-old boy dead, 4 critically injured after lithium-ion battery sparks apartment fire in Mott Haven
Emergency crews responded to reports of a fire on the 11th floor of the Patterson Houses at 320 Morris Ave. at around 12:50 a.m. on Wednesday.
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A late-night apartment fire at a NYCHA building in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx left an 11-year-old boy dead and four others critically injured, according to the FDNY.
Emergency crews responded to reports of a fire on the 11th floor of the Patterson Houses at 320 Morris Ave. at around 12:50 a.m. on Wednesday.
Police say a 33-year-old female was taken to Harlem Hospital. A 37-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were also taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police say two unidentified males were taken to Jacobi Hospital, one was pronounced deceased.
Officials haven't released the victims age or identity.
Exclusive video obtained by News 12 showed EMS crews performing CPR on two people outside the building as first responders rushed to save victims pulled from the apartment.
A neighbor, who requested anonymity, said firefighters at the scene indicated that an e-bike battery may have been involved in the fire.
“The firefighters were saying that it was an e-bike. Apparently the battery blew up and it was blocking the door,” the neighbor said. “According to them, it was plugged in in the kitchen and it blew up next to the stove and blocked the entrance. They said that when they tried to open the apartment, the dad was there at the door. I guess he was trying to come out and save his family, but he didn’t make it.”
The neighbor also said she believed all of the victims were members of the same family living in the apartment, including two parents and their three children.
Authorities have not confirmed those details and have not released the identities of the victims.
The blaze was brought under control just after 2 a.m.
FDNY Fire Marshals have determined the cause of the fire is a lithium-ion battery.
