A lithium-ion battery sparked a two-alarm fire that tore through a Bronx barbershop and injured five people, two critically, according to the FDNY.<\/p>\n
The fire broke out around 9:40 p.m. Thursday at La Roka Barber Shop on West Burnside Avenue in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx.<\/p>\n
Officials said a 29-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.<\/p>\n
Three other men, ages 49, 51 and 52, were taken to the hospital in stable condition.<\/p>\n
Video from the scene showed the aftermath of the fire, with the inside of the barbershop completely charred.<\/p>\n
The neighboring Ming Wong Chinese restaurant was also damaged. A phone repair store next door was not burned, although an employee said its gate was cut and its door was broken.<\/p>\n
FDNY fire marshals were at the scene Friday morning assessing the damage. Two electric scooters were also damaged outside the barbershop.<\/p>\n
A witness told Eyewitness News he rushed to help a woman who was inside the barbershop after hearing her screaming during the fire.<\/p>\n
“So I heard the lady screaming, so I went over there. She was on fire, her hair was on fire and everything like that, so I basically pulled her out the building and got her across the street to the bodega,” Travis said.<\/p>\n
He described heavy smoke filling the area as he helped get the woman to safety and waited for emergency responders to arrive.<\/p>\n
The FDNY determined the fire was sparked by a lithium-ion battery.<\/p>\n
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