Family devastated after deadly fire at Bronx NYCHA complex as officials warn of e-bike battery dangers
The fire broke out early in the morning inside an 11th-floor apartment at the Mott Haven complex on Morris Avenue. According to the family, 33-year-old Syida Adams and her son, an aspiring mechanic, are brain-dead in the hospital.
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A Bronx family is devastated after a fire at NYCHA’s Patterson Houses left a 10-year-old boy dead and several of his relatives fighting for their lives.
The fire broke out early in the morning inside an 11th-floor apartment at the Mott Haven complex on Morris Avenue. According to the family, 33-year-old Syida Adams and her son, an aspiring mechanic, are brain-dead in the hospital.
“He was to be fixing planes and stuff like that, but now they’re currently brain-dead,” said Bruce Mabre, Adams’ brother. “And we need all prayers, any, any, any type of support that we can get from all sources.”
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Adams’ husband and his two sons were also inside the apartment when the fire broke out. Firefighters say one of the boys, just 10 years old, died.
The FDNY arrived four minutes after the fire began. An e-bike with a lithium-ion battery was blocking the family’s only escape route, according to officials.
The tragedy comes as the department continues to warn New Yorkers about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries. According to the department, more than 400 lithium-ion battery fires have been reported across New York City this year, resulting in six deaths. That exceeds the 292 battery fires reported last year.
Fire officials say these types of fires are very difficult to fight.
"There is an incredible amount of energy stored in those batteries, and when they fail, they fail very quickly and very violently," Chief of Department John M. Esposito said imperatively. "A fire extinguisher, whether it's water or dry calm, is not sufficient to put that fire out."
NYCHA allows residents to store e-bikes inside their apartments, but they cannot block exits. Batteries can only be charged while the owner is awake.
E-bikes have become increasingly common across the city, particularly among delivery workers who rely on them to make a living.
“We don’t want to penalize an industry that needs e-bikes for their work, for their profession. But we also want to say that we want you to be safe while you use it,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said.
Gibson says she is pushing for dedicated charging spaces in public housing to give residents a safer alternative to charging batteries inside their apartments.
“We know lack of options…People resort to what they believe is the best and what is available. Right? Your apartment is available,” Gibson said.
The FDNY is reminding New Yorkers to look for a nationally recognized testing laboratory certification mark on a battery label or sticker and to follow proper charging and storage precautions.
For Mabre and his family, the focus remains on supporting their loved ones and coping with an unimaginable tragedy.
“We trying to stay strong for them,” Mabre said. “Show strength for the people who live in the building as well as them.”
