Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City and Washington D.C. areas. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.
NEW YORK (PIX11) – Authorities identified the person who died in an apartment fire in Harlem caused by a lithium-ion battery on Friday as Fazil Khan.
Khan, a Data Reporter for the nonprofit Hechinger Report, passed away in the fire, the organization confirmed on social media.
"We learned Saturday that The Hechinger Report’s data reporter Fazil Khan died in a fire in the New York City building where he lived. We are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person, and our hearts go out to his family. He will be dearly missed," the Hechinger Report posted on social media.
Khan graduated from Columbia in 2021.
PIX11 News reached out to Columbia for a statement but did not immediately hear back.
In total 12 of the 18 victims needed to be hospitalized, including five people who were in critical condition, authorities said.
The deadly fire left dozens of residents displaced and even saw a firefighter perform a rope rescue. The firefighter had been with the fire department for less than a year, FDNY officials said.
Lithium-ion batteries are now a leading cause of fires and fire deaths in New York City, according to fire officials.
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