The man who died in a Harlem apartment fire on Friday has been identified as a 27-year-old Indian journalist, Indian authorities said.
Fazil Khan died in the St. Nicholas Place fire that injured 18 people and watched as FDNY firefighters desperately tried to rescue residents by hanging from windows.
The Indian consulate in New York City said it had identified Khan and was in touch with his family and friends.
“We will continue to assist in any way possible to repatriate his remains to India.” the consulate said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Khan worked as a reporter at CNN News 18 in Delhi before moving to New York in 2020 and graduating from Columbia University’s School of Journalism in 2021.
He worked for The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization reporting on educational inequality.
“We learned on Saturday that Hechinger Report data reporter Fazil Khan died in a fire at the New York City building where he lived,” the outlet said in a statement. “We are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person, and our hearts go out to his family. He will be sorely missed.”
Fire officials said the deadly fire started in a lithium-ion battery in the six-story building around 2:15 p.m. and quickly consumed hallways, leaving residents on upper floors unable to reach the stairwells. I confirmed that.
With no way out, three residents ran to the windows, only to realize there were no fire escapes to safely escape, and the FDNY performed a dangerous rescue using ropes.
Officials said the three were among five victims taken to the hospital in critical condition.
One of the five, Khan, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The other four people were hospitalized in stable condition. A total of 18 people were treated for injuries, according to the FDNY.
