NEW YORK – A fire broke out on the 20th floor of a New York City apartment building on Saturday, injuring 38 people, authorities said.
Two people were critically injured and five were seriously injured in the three-alarm fire in Manhattan, WPIX-TV reported. According to the New York City Fire Department, firefighters responded to a call of a fire at the midtown building near East 52nd Street and First Avenue at about 10:30 a.m., according to the television station.
The cause of the fire was determined to be a lithium-ion battery “connected to a micro-mobility device,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh told WABC-TV.
Bystander footage captured a firefighter rappelling with a woman down to a floor below and safely entering the building, according to the television station.
“Fire EMS and dispatch did an extraordinary job rescuing a number of civilians,” Kavanagh said during a news conference. “I cannot emphasize enough the extraordinary work of our members this morning in unbelievably dangerous conditions.”
