By Rocco Parascandola, Kerry Burke, Colin Mixson
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — An 80-year-old man killed by a fire in a badly cluttered Manhattan apartment early Monday rushed his wife to safety before heading back into his burning home, the building’s superintendent told the News.
“He made his way back into the apartment to try and put the fire out,” said William Turcios. “I can only think he was trying to save his stuff.”
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The blaze broke out just before 1:30 a.m. inside the third-floor apartment in a six-story building on Riverside Drive near W. 144th St. in Hamilton Heights, FDNY officials said.
The elderly man was found dead in the home, which was packed with debris. His name was not immediately released. Medics took a 52-year-old woman to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, where she was in stable condition.
A third person inside the building suffered minor injuries, as did two responding firefighters, FDNY officials said.
“Our bedroom was filled with smoke, and the building’s fire alarms were blaring, said building resident Kahn-Tanaz Hightower, 23. “As soon as we hit the stairs, it was all black smoke. We had to go down the fire escape.”
“We could have died in that thing,” he added.
Turcios, the super, said the elderly victim was a retired welder and a longtime resident of the building.
“He retired only recently, just a few years ago,” said Turcios. “He was a great guy. He loved to make music. He lived here forever. It’s a terrible loss.”
The fire was brought under control at 5:12 a.m. The cause has not yet been determined.
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