Fazil Khan, a 27-year-old Indian national, tragically lost his life after a fire broke out in a six-storey residential building at 2 St. Nicholas Place in Harlem, Manhattan that left about 17 other people injured, news agency PTI reported. According to the report, the New York City Fire Department said that its marshals have determined that the “devastating” fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery. Khan was working as a journalist with New York-based media company The Hechinger Report, which is focused on innovation and inequality in education. 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 death of 27 years old Indian national Mr. Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in an apartment building in Harlem, NY. @IndiainNewYork is in touch with late Mr. Fazil Khan’s family & friends. We continue to extend all possible assistance in… — India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) February 25, 2024 Who is Fazil Khan? According to his author profile on The Hechinger Report website, Fazil Khan worked as a data reporter who was responsible for gathering and analysing education data and collaborating with other reporters to expose inequality and examine innovation in education. A 2021 graduate of the M.S. Data Journalism program at Columbia Journalism School, Khan was also chosen as a post-graduate fellow for the school's Global Migration Project. He began his career as a copyeditor at one of India's leading business dailies in 2018 and had been working as a correspondent at CNN-News18 in Delhi, India, before moving to New York in 2020 for his graduate degree, the website stated. 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 (@hechingerreport) February 24, 2024 What did The Hechinger Report say? The Hechinger Report took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their condolences following Khan's death. The media organisation wrote, "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."
