Zion Maine, 10, identified after e-bike battery fire traps family in Bronx apartment

MOTT HAVEN, Bronx (WABC) — A 10-year-old boy who died in a Bronx apartment fire started by an electric scooter’s battery was identified as Zion Maine, as four members of his family remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday.

Fire officials said the fire broke out shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday in an 11th-floor apartment at the Patterson Houses in Mott Haven. Investigators determined that an electric scooter equipped with a lithium-ion battery near the apartment’s front door started the fire, trapping the family inside as flames and smoke spread through the unit.

“It was in a location in the kitchen that made it difficult for residents to get out safely,” Lillian Bonsignore said.

Authorities said Maine died after being rushed to the hospital. Four relatives survived but remain hospitalized.

A 15-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman were taken to Lincoln Hospital and are described by law enforcement as being brain dead. A second boy, aged between 12 and 16, remains in critical condition. A 37-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition at Harlem Hospital, where he is being treated in the burn intensive care unit and has shown some improvement while in a medically induced coma.

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonignore said the battery’s location made escape difficult.

“It was in an area of ​​the kitchen that prevented residents from getting out safely,” Bonsignore said.

The gunfire attracted approximately 120 FDNY and EMS personnel, who arrived within four minutes of receiving the call. Mayor Zohran Mamdani welcomed the response, saying: “Without their heroism, more lives would have been lost today. »

Neighbors in the housing complex continued to mourn the loss of the young boy.

“They worked on the children for about 45 minutes. That’s too long. He was already coming from a tragedy. His mother had died. That’s how he got to his father’s house and it’s a shame that the electric bike exploded in front of their door,” said a resident.

Fire officials say lithium-ion batteries have been linked to hundreds of fires in New York this year and continue to urge residents to follow safety guidelines when charging and storing e-bikes and scooters.

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