2 People Hospitalized After Fire on UWS: FDNY

By Gus Saltonstall

Two people were hospitalized after a fire broke out Sunday night on the Upper West Side, an FDNY spokesperson confirmed to West Side Rag.

The flames ignited around 9 p.m. at 21 West End Avenue, between West 60th and 61st streets, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the pair received major burns from a “portable charger fire, and were taken to the Weill Cornell Medical Center. FDNY did not state the conditions of the victims.

ABC 7 reported that the two people injured were a mother and child who were burned after a lithium-ion battery cellphone charger caught fire inside their apartment.

In recent history, lithium-ion battery fires in New York City have been more connected to those used to power electric vehicles. In 2024, there were 171 fires in the five boroughs linked to lithium-ion batteries, which caused 59 injuries and three deaths.

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