A 27-year-old Indian national, who worked as a journalist in the United States, tragically lost his life in a fire incident in an apartment building in New York’s Harlem.
Fazil Khan, who was working with New York-based media company The Hechinger Report, was killed in the fire that broke out in a six-story residential building at 2 St. Nicholas Place in Harlem, Manhattan that left about 17 other people injured, PTI news agency reported.
The New York City Fire Department said that its marshals have determined that the “devastating” fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery.
The Consulate General of India in New York expressed condolences on Khan’s death and said it is extending all possible assistance to repatriate his mortal remains to his family in India.
“Saddened to learn about the death of 27-year old Indian national Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in Harlem, NY,” the Consulate said in a post on X Saturday.
The Consulate said it is in touch with Khan’s family and friends.
“We continue to extend all possible assistance in repatriation of his mortal remains to India,” the Consulate said.
Khan, an alumnus of Columbia Journalism School, was a data reporter at The Hechinger Report which is focused on innovation and inequality in education.
The Hechinger Report said in a post on X that it learned Saturday that 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,” it said.
Khan started his career as a copy editor at Business Standard in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He later worked as a correspondent at CNN-News18 in Delhi. In 2020, he moved to New York to get a graduate degree from Columbia University.
