In a heartbreaking development, a 27-year-old Indian man died in a deadly fire that broke out in an apartment in New York's Harleen on Friday. The Indian Embassy in New York identified the man as Fazil Khan and said they are in touch with his friends and family. As per reports, the New York Apartment fire broke out due to a lithium-ion battery in an e-bike. The e-bike battery caused the fire at a Harlem apartment building, reported a US media portal citing the local fire department. Now, Harlem Apartment fire video is going viral on social media and it showcases the incident could have been worse had the firefighters not arrived in time.
Taking cognisance of the incident, the Indian Consulate General in New York said that they are in touch with Fazil Khan's family and will "extend all possible assistance" in reparation of Khan's mortal remains to India. Consulate General of India in New York wrote, "Saddened to learn about death of 27 years old Indian national Mr. Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in an apartment building in Harlem, NY. @IndiainNewYork is in touch with late Mr. Fazil Khan’s family & friends. We continue to extend all possible assistance in repatriation of his mortal remains to India."
Talking about who was Fazil Khan, he was an alumnus of the Columbia Journalism School. Fazil was working as a data journalist with The Hechinger Report - a nonprofit newsroom reporting on inequality and innovation in education. It is based at Teachers College, Columbia University. Going by his LinkedIn profile, Fazil Khan began his career as a copyeditor at Business Standard in 2018 and worked as a correspondent at CNN-News18 in Delhi before moving to New York in 2020 for his graduate degree from Columbia University.
Akil Jone a local was quoted by a newswire saying that the fire started on the top floor of the building, following which people started jumping out of the windows. "The fire was at the top and people were jumping out of the windows," said Akil Jones, a resident adding that he and his father escaped the fire with only his phone and his keys. Following the incident, a 'full vacate' order was issued by the Department of Buildings and the Red Cross is assisting dozens of people with temporary housing at a school nearby.
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