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A Bangladeshi expatriate who risked his life to save his wife and two children from a devastating fire in New York has died from his injuries after battling for 21 days in hospital.
Rafiqul Islam Sohag, 47, succumbed to severe burn injuries and smoke inhalation while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital.
His funeral prayer was held at Baitul Mamun Mosque in Brooklyn on Saturday (July 18), after which he was laid to rest at a Muslim cemetery in New Jersey.
According to family members and local sources, the fire broke out in the basement of a privately owned two-storey house in the Jamaica neighbourhood of Queens early on June 26.
A preliminary investigation by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) found that the blaze was caused by the explosion of a lithium-ion battery used in a delivery e-bike.
Family members said Sohag’s wife and two children were asleep when the fire erupted. As flames and thick toxic smoke rapidly engulfed the basement, he ignored his own safety and bravely rescued his wife and children one by one.
Although he managed to save every member of his family unharmed, Sohag suffered critical burns and severe smoke inhalation while carrying out the rescue. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he remained under intensive care until his death.
Sohag hailed from South Shaktala village under Nadona Union in Noakhali’s Sonaimuri upazila. He had been living in New York with his wife and two children for many years.
His selfless sacrifice has sparked an outpouring of grief among the Bangladeshi community in New York. Many have paid tribute to him on social media, remembering him as a true “superhero dad” whose courage and sacrifice saved his family.