Two folks embrace one another after a home fireplace in Flushing in December 2021.
James Messerschmidt for NY Put up
The quantity of people that died in fires in New York Metropolis climbed 16 p.c in 2021 — with 73 fatalities in comparison with 63 in 2020, FDNY information present.
Queens was the deadliest borough with 23 fireplace deaths, adopted by Manhattan (19), the Bronx (16), Brooklyn (14) and Staten Island (1).
The FDNY famous that 4 of the fireplace deaths in 2021 — together with one within the East Village — resulted from blazes sparked by the lithium ion batteries in saved ebikes/scooters.
“One thing now we have by no means seen earlier than in Division historical past,” mentioned FDNY spokeswoman Amanda Farinacci Gonzalez.
Fireplace officers warn that when the batteries are broken or overcharged, they launch hydrogen gasoline and might explode.
Among the many most gut-wrenching fireplace tragedies final yr: a 7-year-old boy was killed and his grandmother significantly damage after an early-morning fireplace erupted in a Washington Heights condominium Oct. 30. Simply six days later, on Nov. 5, a 6-year-old boy was killed when a fireplace broke out within the trash compactor of the Mitchel Homes within the Mott Haven part of the Bronx.
On Dec. 15, a 75-year-old lady and her 81-year-old husband died in a Queens condominium fireplace in Flushing after firefighters responded to a “heavy muddle situation,” the FDNY mentioned.
The 73 fireplace deaths in 2021 continued a development over the past 16 years with fewer than 100 deaths yearly within the metropolis, the FDNY mentioned.
In 2016, the fireplace dying toll was 48, the bottom in 100 years, Division information present. The deadliest yr within the Massive Apple for fireplace fatalities was 1970 when 310 folks perished.
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