Fire in Brooklyn's Sunset Park kills six and injures seven, including three firefighters

Fire in the early hours

A fire broke out in a two-story residential building on 58th Street in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood in the early hours of 5 November. The Guardian, citing witnesses and authorities, put the start at about 1:40 a.m. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said more than 200 first responders were sent to the scene, while the BBC, the New York Times and Europa Press put the number above 230. The flames spread through the building and into another home before crews brought the blaze under control roughly three hours later. When firefighters reached the building, its first and second floors were already engulfed, according to the FDNY.

Casualties and injuries

The FDNY said four people died at the scene. Two others with critical injuries were taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, according to the New York Times, which named NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn as the facility. Four more people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, and three firefighters suffered minor injuries. Europa Press reported nine people hurt, four of them police officers, a count that differs from the seven injured given by AP, the Guardian, the BBC and the New York Times. No names or ages of the victims had been released by the early morning of 5 November.

Died at the scene4

Died after hospital transport2

Injured7

Died at the scene

4 people

Died after hospital transport

2 people

Injured

7 people

Data from the article text

Battery and cause

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze. A lithium-ion battery, or possibly two according to the Guardian, was found at the scene, but the FDNY said it was not known whether the battery was related to the fire. The BBC reported that a hazardous materials crew was sent to the scene because of the battery. The Guardian also noted a nationwide increase in fires sparked by batteries used in e-bikes, electronic chargers and household devices.

Official response

Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared on television early on 5 November and praised the firefighters who responded. Speaking at a press conference alongside the city's first deputy fire commissioner, Daniel Flynn, he asked residents for patience while the investigation proceeds. Mamdani said e-bike fires in New York City had risen to more than 400 this year, and that the city had to look at every avenue to keep people safe.

“It is devastating, and it is a reflection of a number of things.”

Mamdani said he wanted to acknowledge the courage of the firefighters:

“I want to always acknowledge the courage of our firefighters, who go in every single day, no matter what the level of danger is.”

What remains unknown

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the link between the battery and the blaze is still unclear. Victims had not been publicly identified by the time of the early reports. The injury count is also not settled across outlets, with seven injured in most reports and nine in the Europa Press account. Results of the fire marshals' investigation are the next step in establishing how the fire started.