NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two people who were injured in a weekend apartment fire in Washington Heights have died in another fire caused by a lithium-ion battery, fire officials said Tuesday.
The "fast-moving" and "incredibly destructive fire" on Sunday afternoon at 565 West 190th Street, according to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh, injured two more victims who remain in "extremely critical condition."
Kavanaugh noted Tuesday that "multiple lithium-ion batteries were found around the apartment."
Neighbors told PIX11 that one of the victims injured Sunday is a 98-year-old woman known as "Mamita," who has lived in the building for more than four decades.
The identities and ages of the slain victims have not yet been revealed.
So far this year, seven people in New York City have died from fires started by lithium-ion batteries. That has surpassed the total from 2022.
"It is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of fire deaths this year," Kavanagh said. "These fires are extremely dangerous. They create a large volume of fire very quickly and present significant threats to New Yorkers who are trying to get out of their homes and to our members as they respond to these calls."
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