A fire incident in New York's Harlem claimed the life of a 27-year-old Indian national identified as Fazil Khan.
The Indian Embassy in New York has offered support in the wake of this tragedy, stating that they are in contact with Khan's friends and family to provide assistance during this difficult time.
“Saddened to learn about death of 27-year-old Indian national Mr. Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in Harlem, NY. India in New York is in touch with the late Mr. Fazil Khan's family & friends. We continue to extend all possible assistance in reparation of his mortal remains to India,” the Indian Embassy in New York posted on X.
As per CBS News, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has cited a massive fire at a Harlem apartment building on Friday to a lithium-ion battery. The incident resulted in the loss of life and caused injuries to 17 individuals, while dozens of people were displaced from their homes.
Fazil Khan, the victim of the fire in Harlem, was employed as a data reporter at the Hechinger Report, located at Teachers College, Columbia University.
His LinkedIn profile indicates that Khan completed his education at the Columbia Journalism School, where he was selected as a post-graduate fellow for the school's Global Migration project.
His career commenced in 2018 as a copy editor at Business Standard, followed by a role as a correspondent at CNN-News18 in Delhi. Khan relocated to New York in 2020 to pursue further education.
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said, “On the third floor, one of the apartment doors was left open where the fire was. The fire was so intense, if you could imagine, flames coming out that door and blocking off the stairwell.”
According to the FDNY, in 2023, lithium-ion batteries caused 267 fires, 150 injuries and 18 deaths in the city.
As of Monday, there have been 24 lithium-ion battery fire investigations and eight injuries so far this year, as reported by CBS News.
(With inputs from agencies)
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