Two teenagers slide down pipe in narrow escape from fire, video goes viral

In a chilling video, two teenagers were seen dangling from a window of a building that caught fire in New York. Escaping miraculously, the teenagers managed to slide down a pipe, descending four stories from the building in East Village, Manhattan. However, the 13 and 18-year-old teenagers sustained injuries.

The incident reportedly happened Thursday at 7 am at 118 Avenue D in the Jacob Riis Houses in East Village. The fire, caused by lithium-ion batteries from an electric bike, killed a young man. Meanwhile, another woman is critically injured and admitted to the hospital, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

In the video shared by a GoodNews correspondent, a teenager was seen hanging from the window on the fifth floor. Meanwhile, thick smoke kept billowing . After a few seconds, the teenager managed to jump to the pole. Then the other teenager, helped by the one already at the pole, escaped through the window. Soon, the fire raged inside the room and almost immediately, they slid down the slender pipe, one after the other, and defied death.

Watch the video here:

Yesterday morning 2 teens—a 13 and 18-yr-old— escaped a burning building in East Village, NYC. In the video you can see the first teen hanging from the window then stand up and hold on to a pole and help the second person.
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pic.twitter.com/xzHP5QqM2I

— GoodNewsCorrespondent (@GoodNewsCorres1) December 17, 2021

The video shared on December 17 has garnered over 2 lakh views so far. Netizens hailed the teenagers as brave and lauded people who ran to help them out. Some users heaved a sigh of relief by saying that they were rescued.

The bravery under such dire circumstances 💜

I’m so glad they’re ok. Unfortunately one life was lost in the fire but it could’ve been so much worse.

— Disgusted by…Insurrectionists (@ByDisgusted) December 17, 2021

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The people running to catch them once they realize they have to slide down that pipe is what humanity should be all the time. A non hesitation effort to help a person in need

— professional bamf engineer (@TripleL86) December 17, 2021

@POTUS The teen who helped the other teen escape in this video definitely deserves a visit to the WH and a medal of bravery. @VP Hope you see this video also.

— Wendy 🇨🇦 (@perfectrose2011) December 18, 2021

😥😅 pic.twitter.com/QbHGcAZ6Ni

— Cheny 🥰 (@chenysan_15) December 17, 2021

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In a Facebook post, NYFD said 93 fires were reported this year, more than 70 injuries and four deaths caused by lithium-ion battery fires. Last year, 44 fire accidents were reported.

Raising an alarm about lithium-ion battery-led fire incidents, FDNY Commissioner Daniel A Nigro urged people to be alert. “We are urging people not to charge these in areas of egress, places where people are sleeping. I would prefer if they were charged outdoors or in an unoccupied space,” said Nigro in FDNY’s Facebook post.

“We need to make sure people buy authorised batteries. This is a serious trend, going back a few years, this did not occur, and as the number of batteries grow, the danger will grow. In order to prevent further loss of life, we need to use these properly and safely,” he added.

About a month ago, in a viral video, an 82-year-old woman was seen dangling upside down from a clothes rack after falling from the 19th floor of a building in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Immediate intervention by firefighters saved the woman.