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See the full story · 3 sourcesLithium-ion battery sparked Bronx barbershop fire that hurt 5, FDNY says By Eyewitness News Friday, August 21, 2026 2:32PM Jaysha Patel has more on the investigation. MORRIS HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- 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.
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.
Officials said a 29-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Three other men, ages 49, 51 and 52, were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Video from the scene showed the aftermath of the fire, with the inside of the barbershop completely charred.
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.
FDNY fire marshals were at the scene Friday morning assessing the damage. Two electric scooters were also damaged outside the barbershop.
A witness told Eyewitness News he rushed to help a woman who was inside the barbershop after hearing her screaming during the fire.
"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.
He described heavy smoke filling the area as he helped get the woman to safety and waited for emergency responders to arrive.
The FDNY determined the fire was sparked by a lithium-ion battery.
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