Three Victims Identified as New Details Emerge in Deadly Fire

By Y.M. Lowy

Three of the six people killed in the devastating three-alarm fire on 6th Avenue and 58th Street, which BoroPark24 reported last Thursday, have now been identified by police.

The victims were identified as Lin Cheng Zong, 47; Weixiu Zeng, 52; and Li Sun Zhu, 21. All three lived in the home at 653 58th Street. The other three victims suffered more severe burns and will require additional steps before they can be identified.

New details have also emerged about previous attempts by city building inspectors to enter the two-story home before the fire. According to the Department of Buildings, inspectors visited the property four times in response to 311 complaints filed during the summer of 2025. The visits took place on September 9 and October 22, 2025, and February 13 and August 10, 2026. On each occasion, no one allowed the inspectors inside.

One of the complaints, filed in August 2025, reported suspected illegal apartment conversions in the basement and on the first and second floors, according to city records.

Fire marshals are continuing to investigate what caused the deadly fire. Two lithium-ion batteries were found inside the home, but officials have not determined whether they played any role in the blaze.