1 man dead, 1 injured in a Bronx apartment fire, e-scooter battery identified as cause

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A lithium-ion battery sparked a deadly fire in an apartment in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, ABC News 7 reports.

When firefighters arrived at the Beaumont Avenue building shortly after 11:50 p.m. Thursday, they saw a resident hanging out of a window, desperate for air. Heavy black smoke billowed from the third-floor apartment as firefighters worked to control the flames.

A 34-year-old man was rescued from the apartment but later died at St. Barnabas Hospital. Another resident, a 56-year-old man, was treated for smoke inhalation and taken to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition.

The fire displaced ten residents, including children, leaving them homeless.

"I went back into my apartment, looked out the window, and heard someone coughing, calling for help. I could see the smoke," a neighbor recounted. "I went outside, saw him hanging out the window struggling to breathe. Smoke was overwhelming him, so I stayed with him by the window. He told me the fire was near the door, which was jammed, so I ran back inside, banging on other windows to warn everyone."

Firefighters later confirmed that a lithium-ion e-bike battery had caused the fire.

The building superintendent, Ernesto, shared that one of the apartment's residents used an e-scooter for delivery work. Ernesto believes the resident charged the lithium-ion battery in his apartment.

He mentioned that he had previously advised the resident against storing the scooter in the hallway, citing it as a fire hazard. The resident agreed to keep the scooter outside but continued charging the battery indoors.

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