Indian Journalist Dies in New York Apartment Fire: E-Bike Battery Blamed for Tragic Incident
A fire broke out in an apartment in New York, resulting in the death of an Indian journalist. The Indian Consulate in New York confirmed this information on Sunday. The Indian Consulate stated that on February 23, a fire broke out in an apartment where 27-year-old Faizal Khan lost his life. We are saddened by this incident and are in touch with his family, offering assistance in every possible way.
According to the New York Fire Department, the fire occurred on the third floor of a six-story building. It was caused by a lithium-ion battery. In this accident, 17 other people were injured.
Faizal completed his journalism studies in 2020. A resident of Delhi, he graduated in journalism from Columbia University. Since then, he has been working as a journalist at ‘The Hingar Report,’ a non-profit newsroom that focuses on education inequality and innovation.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Faizal began his career as a copy editor at Business Standard in 2018. Before moving to New York, he worked as a correspondent for CNN-News18 in Delhi.
People had jumped from the 5th floor. A firefighter said, “The fire spread so quickly that people couldn’t escape. Some people were seen jumping from the 5th floor to save their lives. They were trying to come out of the building’s windows to save themselves. We rescued them. We went up the ladder and reached the lower floors to save people with the help of ropes.”
According to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), in 2023, there were 267 fire incidents in the city due to lithium-ion batteries. Among them, 150 people were injured, and 18 fatalities were reported. Until now, investigations into 24 fire incidents have been conducted this year, all of which have been attributed to lithium-ion batteries.
