A 5-year-old girl and her dad's 36-year-old girlfriend, along with three dogs, died when a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Manhattan early Wednesday, authorities say, which was sparked by an e-bike battery.
Authorities responding to a blaze at the NYCHA-owned Jackie Robinson Houses on 129th Street between Lexington and Park avenues around 2:40 a.m. found three people -- the 5-year-old, her 46-year-old dad and the girlfriend -- hurt in the sixth-floor apartment where the blaze erupted, officials say.
The girl and her father were taken to NYC Health & Hospitals/Harlem, where the child was pronounced dead. Her father was said to be in critical condition. His girlfriend was pronounced dead at another hospital, officials said.
No details on the victims were immediately available. Fire officials say the blaze was contained to their apartment.
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The fire was caused by “lithium ion batteries from E-Bikes/Scooters," according to FDNY fire marshals.
There have been dozens of fires sparked by the batteries used to charge electric bikes and scooters since the conveyances became legal to use on New York City streets in 2020. A 9-year-old boy was killed in a fire in Queens caused by an e-scooter charger on Sept. 1, 2021.
Like Wednesday's fire, the 2021 fire started at around 2 a.m. Then-fire commissioner Daniel Nigro said at the time that bikes and scooters should never be charged overnight when people are sleeping.
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The investigation remains ongoing.
