Brooklyn Community Gathers to Honor Three Generations Lost in Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Tragedy

In Brooklyn, a lithium-ion battery explosion recently claimed the lives of three generations of the West family – Albertha West, 81, her son Michael West, 58, and her grandson Jamiyl West, 33. In Crown Heights, the Beulah Church of Nazarene was filled with mourners on Monday as they sought answers to the tragic and sudden loss. Pastor Edmund Osorio questioned why the battery did not have a mechanism to shut off when fully charged. The West family was at their Albany Ave. home when the explosion occurred at 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 12. The fire quickly spread through the building, and despite efforts from firefighters, all three victims were unconscious and unable to be saved. At the funeral, Albertha was remembered as a woman of quiet strength, while Michael was celebrated as a devoted father and a loyal fan of the Knicks and Giants. Jamiyl worked security at a bank and had a love for his grandmother’s cooking.