An 18-year-old boy died as a fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery tore through a Brooklyn apartment, FDNY officials said Saturday.
The blaze marked the second fatal fire in the city this year caused by a lithium-ion battery, officials said.
Neighbors said an explosion erupted inside a 12th-floor apartment at NYCHA’s Albany Houses on Troy Ave. near Bergen St. in Crown Heights about 7 p.m. on Friday, officials said.
Medics rushed the teen from the fire apartment to Intefaith Medical Center, where he later died. His name was not immediately disclosed.
More than 120 firefighters were called to the scene to douse the blaze, which was put out within an hour.
“The fire was contained in just their apartment. It didn’t spread anywhere else,” a neighbor, who wished not to be named, said. “We were here when the fire started. We were able to stay inside.”
FDNY Fire Marshals are investigating, but officials believe the fire was sparked by a lithium-ion battery found in the apartment.
Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News
The NYCHA Albany Houses in Brooklyn. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
The first fatality related to a lithium-ion battery fire this year occurred on June 26 when a 48-year-old Queens man who scrambled out a window to escape a massive blaze sparked by an e-bike battery died, fire officials said.
The fire ignited after a battery charging in the kitchen of a basement apartment at the two-story home on 91st Ave. near 172nd St. in Jamaica exploded about 12:14 a.m., according to FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Flynn.
Medics rushed four victims to Nassau County Medical Center, including two with serious injuries.
The victim was in his bedroom when the fire cut off his access to the main entrance, Flynn said.
Residents were able to escape from a rear window, but the victim waited for his family to exit before leaving and sustained serious injuries.
He died in the hospital about two weeks later, fire officials said.
Flynn said the e-bike the battery powered had been left outside, but the tenant took the battery into the apartment to charge it.
The tenant had left it charging “between the front door and (the victim’s bedroom), which precluded the occupants from escaping safely from the home.”
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News
E-bike batteries are seen after a fire in Queens last year.(Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
Deaths related to lithium-ion battery fires have steadily decreased in New York City since explosions caused by the devices killed 18 people in 2023. In 2024, six people died due to battery fires, while only one person was killed in a lithium-ion battery fire in 2025.
While fatal fires remain low, Flynn said the number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have still increased about 70% this year.
FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Michael Kavanagh noted at a press conference in July that an increasing amount of battery-related fires are happening outdoors, with 137 non-structural fires in 2026 as compared to 48 at this time last year.
“The biggest change is where we’re seeing these fires happening,” said Kavanagh. “These non-structural fires are occurring outside of buildings, businesses and homes. That’s driving the overall increase in incidents.”