Nine others were injured after flames swept through a Sunset Park home, while fire marshals examined lithium-ion batteries found at the scene.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — Six people were killed and nine others were injured early Thursday when a fast-moving fire tore through a two-story home in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, prompting a response by more than 200 first responders and an investigation into whether lithium-ion batteries found at the scene played any role.
The fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. Nov. 5 at a home on 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Firefighters arrived within minutes and encountered flames on every floor of the wood-frame building. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others who were critically injured died after being taken to a hospital. Authorities had not released the victims’ names as of Thursday afternoon.
FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said firefighters faced intense conditions when they reached the home, with fire coming from windows and the front entrance. Crews moved into the building while also working to keep the flames from spreading along the row of closely spaced wood-frame homes. The fire damaged an adjoining residence before it was brought under control about three hours after the first emergency calls.
Firefighters rescued four people, including two who were trapped behind window bars at the rear of the home, officials said. The nine people injured in the fire were expected to survive. They included four civilians, three firefighters and two police officers. The firefighters and police officers suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Eight displaced neighbors were taken to hotels.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the fire devastating and praised firefighters for their response. “It will take a long time for this neighborhood to mourn the neighbors they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief,” Mamdani said during a news conference near the scene.
Investigators had not determined what caused the fire. Fire marshals found lithium-ion batteries at the property, but officials stressed that their presence did not establish that a battery started the blaze. Some reports described two batteries at the scene, while the Fire Department said at least one had been recovered. Investigators were examining the devices as part of the broader effort to determine where and how the fire began.
The battery investigation comes amid continuing concern over lithium-ion fires in New York City, particularly those involving e-bikes and other micromobility devices. Days before the Brooklyn fire, the FDNY said 401 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries had been recorded in the city during 2026, causing 74 injuries and six deaths. Those figures preceded Thursday’s fire, whose cause had not been established.
The Sunset Park blaze followed another deadly fire in the Bronx in late October that city officials said was caused by a lithium-ion e-bike battery. That fire killed members of a family and renewed warnings from fire officials about the speed and intensity with which damaged or malfunctioning batteries can burn. Officials have not linked the Brooklyn deaths to a battery and said the Sunset Park investigation remained open.
The Brooklyn home, built in 1915 according to city property records cited by The Associated Press, suffered extensive damage. Firefighters remained at the scene after the flames were controlled, checking walls, siding and other areas for hidden fire. The city’s medical examiner was responsible for identifying the victims and determining their causes of death.
Fire marshals continued investigating Thursday, and no final cause had been announced. Officials also had not released the identities of the six people who died. The finding of lithium-ion batteries remains one part of the investigation and has not been established as the source of the deadly fire.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.