Family mourn Bronx man killed in latest fire blamed on lithium-ion battery
The latest victim in a troubling trend of city fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries had no escape when his e-bike charging near the front door to his Bronx apartment erupted, trapping him inside, causing him deadly wounds and injuring 13 others.
Hiram Echevarria, 39, was at home inside a high-rise at the Bronx River Houses on Bronx River Ave. near the Cross Bronx Expressway in Soundview when the bike exploded around 7 p.m. on Dec. 3, officials said.
Firefighters respond to a fire on Bronx River Ave. in the Bronx on Dec. 3. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
“We’re all just so shocked,” said Migdalia Torres, who shared three children with Echevarria. “It’s really hard. He was very caring.”
A neighbor across the hall on the 10th floor heard a “loud explosion” when the charging ba...