On Tuesday evening, a vehicle caught fire and exploded in Lower Manhattan, sending thick black smoke into the air near the iconic Charging Bull statue on Wall Street.

Emergency crews responded to reports of a car fire on Broadway and Stone Street around 5:42 p.m. according to the FDNY. Videos from the scene show the car, which appeared to be MTA-affiliated, parked on the side of the road before quickly being consumed by flames as onlookers awaited the arrival of firefighters.

Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly before 7 p.m.

The incident is currently under investigation to determine whether it was an accident or a criminal act.

In the last year, fire deaths in New York City have skyrocketed. According to FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Flynn, forty-six people have died in fires so far this year — up more than 60% compared to the same period last year. The numbers are about on par with 2022 and 2023, when e-bike battery fires caused a wave of building incidents. At this time last year, there were 28 fire deaths, but this year’s toll has risen sharply. Flynn noted that nearly a quarter of the deaths so far this year are intentional.

This surge in fire fatalities follows a recent decline in the city’s fire deaths, which had dropped from 47 in 2023 to 32 in early 2024 and then further to an even lower number in 2025.