Nationwide — Zion Maine, a 10-year-old African American boy from the Bronx, New York, was among four family members killed after an e-bike battery exploded inside their apartment and sparked a deadly fire. The bike had just been given to his father by a friend who hoped to help him find more work and better support his family.
The fire started around 12:50 a.m. Wednesday inside the family’s 11th-floor apartment at the Patterson Houses in the Mott Haven neighborhood. The e-bike was stored in the kitchen near the front entrance. When its lithium-ion battery exploded, flames quickly spread and blocked the apartment’s only exit, trapping the family inside. Fire officials said the bike’s position made it impossible for the residents to escape safely, according to the New York Post.
The e-bike belonged to 37-year-old Courtney Maine, who worked at a nearby car wash. His brother, Justin Wildman, said a friend gave him the bike after noticing he was riding a child’s bicycle. The friend wanted to help Maine find additional employment and earn more money for his children. However, the gift became the source of the deadly fire. Wildman described his brother as a hardworking father and questioned why potentially dangerous lithium-ion batteries continued to be sold.
Firefighters arrived near Morris Avenue and East 140th Street within four minutes of receiving the emergency call. When they forced open the apartment door, they encountered heavy flames coming from the burning e-bike and kitchen. They rescued one family member near the entrance before other firefighters crawled past the fire to search the remaining rooms. Their efforts allowed them to remove the trapped residents before they could fully extinguish the flames. The FDNY brought the fire under control in just over an hour. Zion was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, but doctors could not save him.
Three more family members died from their injuries on Friday. They included Zion’s half-brothers, ages 15 and 16, and their 33-year-old mother, Syida Adam, who was also Courtney’s girlfriend. The older teenager was identified as Jamaree Adam. Courtney remained in critical condition at Harlem Hospital, where he was receiving treatment in the burn intensive care unit. The family’s pit bull, Roscoe, also died in the fire. The tragedy added to the family’s grief, as Zion’s biological mother had died from breast cancer about a year earlier. He had been living with his father since her death.
Neighbors remembered Zion as a cheerful, energetic boy who loved basketball and generally stayed out of trouble. They also described the family as part of a close-knit community on the building’s 11th floor, where residents regularly gathered for cookouts and spent time together. Meanwhile, the deadly fire has renewed warnings about the risks of lithium-ion batteries. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said these batteries have been linked to 401 fires across New York City so far this year, causing 74 injuries and six deaths. She urged residents to buy certified batteries, avoid charging them unattended, and keep e-bikes away from doorways and other exits where a fire could prevent people from escaping.