This photo provided by New York Fire Department shows FDNY Firefighter Michael R. Davidson of Engine Company 69. Davidson was killed after a massive fire broke out at a building in the Harlem section of New York, Thursday, March 22, 2108, where a movie directed by Edward Norton was being shot. (New York Fire Department via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) --
The New York Fire Department says a boiler venting heat sparked the blaze that killed a firefighter in a Harlem building being used as a film set in March.
FDNY marshals said Tuesday that the heat from the boiler ignited nearby combustible materials in the cellar of the building, and the building's sprinkler system had been shut off. Thirty-seven-year-old Michael Davidson was killed in the March 23 fire.
At the time, the building was being used to film Edward Norton and Bruce Willis' upcoming film "Motherless Brooklyn."
Davidson's death is also under investigation by the FDNY's Safety Command.
Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.
Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.
"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.
His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.
Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.
"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More
