Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza
By Michael V. Cusenza
A 9-year-old boy died and 11 people were injured early Wednesday morning in an all-hands fire in Ozone Park, according to the City Fire Department and published reports.
Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza
After the inferno was declared under control, firefighters found Remi Hernandez unconscious and unresponsive in the basement apartment of the three-story residential building on 102nd Road near 81st Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza
“He was screaming, ‘Mommy, mommy, help me!’” family friend Humberto Gilbert told the New York Post. “It was really bad because we were trying to save him.”
Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza
According to the FDNY, the blaze broke out in the basement around 2 a.m. and quickly crawled to the upper floors. Marshals announced that the fire was accidental, caused by the charging of batteries for an e-bike/scooter. No smoke alarm was present in the building, investigators noted.
Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza
City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro also noted that Remi’s death marked the third fatality this year linked to e-bike battery charging.
“We’ve had numerous fires, numerous injuries, property damage, all caused by charging these batteries in the bikes,” Nigro said, according to the Post.
