The images went around the world.
A fire broke out on Saturday, November 5 in a building in New York, in the Midtown East district of Manhattan.
Several dozen people were trapped, including a woman, who hung in the air to escape the flames.
Videos posted on social media show the resident of the building clinging to the railing of the window of her apartment on the twentieth floor.
Firefighters, leaning out of the upstairs window, used a rope to rescue her, "
which is a technique used as a last resort
," according to Frank Leeb, assistant deputy chief of the New York Fire Department.
The firefighters managed to get her to safety, despite heavy smoke.
The flames injured 38 people, including five members of the response team responsible for rescuing residents, authorities said.
Two people are in critical condition.
According to police chief Dan Flynn, a lithium-ion electric bicycle battery caused the fire.
These battery types are the cause of nearly 200 fires this year in New York.
"
We've had six deaths this year just from these batteries that power micromobility devices
," he told CNN.
Authorities believe the fire may have started in an apartment where its occupant was repairing bicycles.
