NEW YORK (PIX11) – Authorities identified the person who died in an apartment fire in Harlem caused by a lithium-ion battery on Friday as 27-year-old Fazil Khan.

Khan was a data reporter for Hechinger Report, a nonprofit newsroom at Columbia University covering education, passed away in the fire, the organization confirmed on social media.

“We learned Saturday that The Hechinger Report’s data reporter, Fazil Khan, died in a fire in the New York City building where he lived. 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 dearly missed,” the Hechinger Report posted on social media.

He held a master’s degree from Columbia journalism school and previously worked for a television station in India.

In an email to students, the dean of Columbia’s journalism school said Khan was greatly admired and respected by his peers.

“It is with deep sadness that I must share the news with you that Fazil Khan, a 2021 graduate of the J-School and a 2021-22 CJI Global Migration fellow, succumbed to injuries sustained in a fire at his apartment building on Friday night… Mr. Khan was greatly admired and respected by his peers at CJS, those whom he worked with as a fellow and his colleagues at the Hechinger Report, where he worked as a data reporter.”

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

PIX11 News Headlines

Friday’s fire decimated Khan’s apartment building on Saint Nicholas Place. The Red Cross is helping families left homeless.

“It’s been pretty traumatic, honestly. Just trying to get everything together. Keep my wife situated, my kids, start to get them situated as well,” said resident Tyreese Lowman.

Lucy Skeen lived on the sixth floor. She and her husband and their cat took shelter on their fire escape until firefighters could escort them down their charred stairwells.

“Looked like a bomb went off, really just destroyed, stepping over steps that had broken,” Skeen said.

She stopped by the building Sunday to see if she could gather some belongings, including clothes and her laptop charger. She was happy to see her neighbor, Juanita Williams, made it out safely.

Williams wants the city to create safe spaces for lithium-ion battery charging that aren’t in apartment buildings. She hopes her building, which she’s called home for 40 years, isn’t damaged beyond repair.

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City and Washington D.C. areas. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.