Indian Journalist Killed In New York Fire Caused By E-Bike Battery

Fazil Khan moved to New York in 2020 for a degree from Columbia University

New Delhi:

An Indian man was killed in a deadly apartment fire in New York’s Harlem caused by a lithium-ion battery. Residents of the St. Nicholas Place apartment building jumped out of windows to escape the devastating blaze that injured 17 of them.

The Indian Embassy in New York identified the victim as 27-year-old Fazil Khan and said they are in touch with his friends and family.

“Saddened to learn about the death of 27-year-old Indian national Mr Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in an apartment building in Harlem, NY. India in New York is in touch with the late Mr Fazil Khan’s family and friends. We continue to extend all possible assistance in reparation of his mortal remains to India,” the embassy said.

An alumnus of the Columbia Journalism School, Mr Fazil Khan was working as a data journalist with The Hechinger Report – a nonprofit newsroom reporting on inequality and innovation in education. It is based at Teachers College, Columbia University.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Khan began his career as a copyeditor at Business Standard in 2018 and worked as a correspondent at CNN-News18 in Delhi before moving to New York in 2020 for his graduate degree from Columbia University.

Mourning their “great colleague and a wonderful person”, The Hechinger Report wrote: “We learned Saturday that The Hechinger Report’s data reporter Fazil Khan died in a fire in the New York City building where he lived. We are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person, and our hearts go out to his family. He will be dearly missed.”

Dozens have been displaced in the fire that witnessed dramatic rope rescues from the apartment building. Several people were forced to jump or use the fire escape to save their lives.

Narrating the grisly tragedy, a local said, “The fire was at the top and people were jumping out of the windows.” Another resident said he and his father left home with only his phone and keys.

Eighteen people were rescued from the apartment – of them 12 were admitted to a local hospital where four are in critical condition, ANI reported quoting CBS News.

The Department of Buildings has issued a “full vacate” order after the fire and the Red Cross is assisting the affected with temporary housing at a school nearby.

Inspectors, firefighters, and city officials are assessing the damage to the building and investigating the fire.

According to the New York City Fire Department FDNY, lithium-ion batteries caused 267 fires, 150 injuries, and 18 deaths in the city in 2023. This year so far, there have been 24 lithium-ion battery fire investigations.