When firefighters worked to put out the fire, they found a man in his 60s, who was unconscious on the second floor. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
One person was killed and several others were injured in a house fire in Elmhurst, Queens, that was started by lithium-ion batteries, according to FDNY investigators.
Per #FDNY Fire Marshals the cause of last night’s fatal 2-alarm fire which occurred at 24-37 89th Street in Queens was caused by a lithium-ion battery. pic.twitter.com/uEEjEydBeA
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 21, 2023
According to authorities, the flames tore through the home on 89th Street in East Elmhurst around 11 p.m. Friday, ABC NY reported.
As firefighters worked to put out the fire, they found a man in his 60s, who was unconscious on the second floor. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Through its Twitter account, the New York Fire Department (FDNY) confirmed that the fire started due to a lithium-ion battery.
After the flames were extinguished, members of the hazmat team removed several charred lithium-ion batteries from the home and hauled them away in metal drums, PIX 11 said.
For their part, the residents stated that they believed that the flames had been caused by an electric scooter, as the firefighters removed one from the residence that was burned.
“I unplugged the scooter, it was on the first floor. As I was putting cereal in a bowl, I heard an explosion, like a gunshot. When I opened the door to the second floor, those stairs were already on fire within seconds. It was a disaster,” said resident José Corona.
Meanwhile, other residents who ended up affected by the flames were taken to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries. At least one firefighter also sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the middle of the fire.