NEW YORK — Two East Village teenagers survived a deadly apartment fire Thursday by sliding down an exterior pole from a fourth-story residence, and video footage making the social media rounds Saturday captured the daring escape.
Although the 13-year-old boy and 18-year-old girl featured in the video made it safely to the ground, a 32-year-old man was discovered dead in the apartment by firefighters; three people sustained life-threatening injuries; and four others suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the blaze, officials with the New York City Fire Department confirmed to USA Today.
WATCH: Dramatic video of teens escaping apartment fire on Avenue D in East Village. NYC fire officials say a 13y/o boy and 18y/o female shimmy down a construction conduit down the side of a building@ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/FcG9iPxGtq
— Chantee Lans (@ChanteeLans) December 16, 2021
According to WABC, a 46-year-old woman remained listed in critical condition Saturday at an area hospital.
“Our fire marshals have determined once again that this fire was caused by lithium-ion batteries from an electric bike,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said during a Friday press briefing.
In a separate Facebook post attributed to FDNY, Nigro called the two-alarm fire part of an alarming citywide trend that has seen New York’s annual fires attributed to lithium-ion batteries more than double from 44 in 2020 to 93 to date for 2021. Those blazes, he said, have injured more than 70 people, resulting in at least four deaths, and “as the number of batteries grow, the danger will grow.”
“Early yesterday morning in the East Village, a fire on the fourth floor caused the death of a young man, left a woman...
Posted by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) on Friday, December 17, 2021
The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the NYCHA-run Riis Houses at around 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, and Citizen App video captured flames shooting out of the building’s windows, WABC reported, noting that residents heard a large explosion prior to the fire and smoke.
“The intensity of this fire was such that it blew the windows out and blew a wall out in a bedroom where these teenagers were sleeping,” Nigro told the TV station.
The FDNY also released the following tips to follow when using devices powered by lithium-ion batteries:
- Purchase and use devices that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and storage.
- Do not charge a device under your pillow, on your bed or on a couch.
- Always use the manufacturer’s cord and power adapter made specifically for the device.
- Keep batteries/devices at room temperature. Do not place in direct sunlight.
- Store batteries away from anything flammable.
- Discontinue use immediately if a battery overheats or you notice an odor, change in shape/color, leaking or odd noises from a device.
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