A devastating fire broke out in the Chinese community on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, during the early hours of Thursday morning. The incident occurred at 653, 60th Street, where a two-story wooden residential building was engulfed by a third-alarm fire, quickly consuming the entire structure and spreading to adjacent buildings. Tragically, six people lost their lives, and nine others sustained injuries. All the deceased were immigrants from Fuzhou, China. Rescuers discovered severely burned remains of electric bicycles and scooters in the wreckage, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
According to the fire department, lithium-ion batteries were found at the scene, although the exact cause of the fire remains unclear. Local residents reported having seen electrical wires smoking earlier in the day, and some survivors indicated that a man living in the building had been cutting wires and behaving erratically, causing fear among the other residents.
Survivors described that three people occupied the first floor while five to six resided on the second. Remarkably, only Mrs. Lin and her husband from the first floor managed to escape, while all second-floor residents perished in the blaze.
Fire department records revealed that the alarm was raised around 1:39 AM. Firefighters arrived approximately three minutes later to find the basement, first, and second floors fully engulfed in flames, with flames roaring from windows and the front door. The staircase between the two floors had partially collapsed due to the intense heat.
More than 200 firefighters were deployed to combat the blaze, which took nearly three hours to bring under control. During the rescue operation, firefighters bravely entered through a window near the back door, successfully rescuing Mrs. Lin and her husband. Among the six fatalities, four individuals died at the scene, while two succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital. Furthermore, nine people were injured, including four residents (with Mrs. Lin’s husband being admitted to the ICU) and three firefighters, along with two police officers who sustained minor injuries during the rescue.
While searching and clearing the fire scene, firefighters also retrieved the severely burned remains of electric bicycles and scooters.
Fei Ling, a member of the prosperous Brooklyn Association, provided volunteer assistance at the fire scene and directly interacted with the rescued survivor, Mrs. Lin. According to Fei, the couple had been living in the back room on the first floor for over five years. They had plans to move by the end of the month due to their fear of a man living in the front section of the first-floor unit. Tragically, they were unable to escape the horrific situation.
Mrs. Lin described the man, believed to be in his thirties or forties and possibly suffering from mental health issues, detailing how he had repeatedly cut electrical wires and acted erratically. If anyone attempted to confront him, he would resort to physical violence, including choking or hitting people, creating an atmosphere of fear for the residents both above and below.
Remarkably, only hours before the fire broke out, the same man had cut the wires again, but a resident on the second floor who had electrical skills managed to reconnect them just in time. Although they intended to contact the police, they eventually informed the landlord, who chose not to escalate the situation further.
When the fire ignited, Mrs. Lin and her husband hid by the windows at the back of their residence as dense smoke filled the room. They screamed for help, calling out, “Avalokiteshvara, please save us!” Firefighters ultimately broke in through the back door and rescued them. Mrs. Lin’s husband was taken to Staten Island Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and was placed in the ICU; however, his condition was reported to be stable.
Mrs. Lin mentioned that inside their home, there was one electric bicycle belonging to herself, which was not charging at the time, and another belonging to a resident upstairs. She was uncertain whether the latter was charging during the fire.
A nearby resident, Ms. Chen, reported seeing smoke rising from the wires at around 1 PM on Wednesday, and although someone appeared to have extinguished the small flames, it did not draw significant attention at the time.
Investigations into the building’s history revealed no record of complaints in recent years. The property owner, a Chinese individual with the surname Zhou, acquired the property in 2021 and took out an $800,000 mortgage with STG Mortgage Inc. in June 2026.
A 19-year-old neighbor living next door, Mr. Xu Yan, recounted the chaotic moments of the fire starting around 1:40 AM when he heard shouts of “Fire!” As he investigated outside, he noticed flames near the second floor. Initially, the fire seemed manageable, but soon he heard two loud explosions, and flames quickly engulfed the roof as the first floor also caught fire. He described the fire escalating almost instantaneously, causing him to panic and flee to safety a few meters away on the sidewalk. He later saw firefighters carrying two electric vehicles from inside.
Mr. Yu, residing at 651 next door, had just seen off a visiting friend when he noticed the commotion outside, prompting him to run out and assess the situation. He spotted a small flicker of flame near the first-floor window. He called 911 promptly at around 1:26 AM, and within a moment of reporting, the entire building erupted in flames, with police and fire trucks arriving shortly after.
Mr. Yu believed that if the firefighters had arrived any later, the casualties could have been even more severe since most residents were already asleep, and the rapid influx of smoke would have made escape nearly impossible. His smoke alarm only activated once the smoke reached his home.
Following the fire, the scene drew many friends and relatives of the victims, along with residents from the neighborhood. By midday on Thursday, a distraught Ms. Chen arrived and tearfully asked a reporter, “Where can I find him? I don’t speak English; I just got here from work.” It was later confirmed that her ex-husband had tragically perished in the fire.
Mayor Adams held a press conference at the scene that morning, characterizing the incident as a rapidly spreading third-alarm fire. He emphasized that the entire community would need time to mourn the loss of their neighbors and recover from this tragedy.
City Council Member Shuan Wenyi announced that a service point had been established at the intersection of 58th Street and Seventh Avenue to provide food, drinking water, and other assistance to affected residents. They also arranged hotel accommodations for a pregnant neighbor impacted by the disaster.
Council Chairwoman Amanda Hurst expressed her condolences to the families of the six deceased and the injured, thanking the firefighters and EMTs who bravely entered the burning building to save lives. She highlighted that investigators were still working to ascertain the cause of the fire and reminded the public of the importance of battery safety and proper storage protocols, urging the city to enhance safety measures accordingly.
The fire department also reminded citizens of the importance of formulating a family fire escape plan, ensuring that everyone in the household knows how to evacuate during a fire and how to alert other residents.