81-year-old man killed in Borough Park apartment building fire
Firefighters responded to the fifth-floor blaze at 1215 47th St. just before 2:45 p.m.
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Police say an 81-year-old man was killed during a fire at an apartment building in Borough Park on Thursday.
Firefighters responded to the fifth-floor blaze at 1215 47th St. just before 2:45 p.m.
“I kept hearing the fire alarm going off,” said one neighbor, who has lived in the building for 30 years. “But, you know, you hear it and it happens so often that you could hear the fire alarm. I couldn’t believe it.”
Fire crews found the man unconscious and unresponsive, according to authorities. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
“I just saw him a couple of days ago,” she said. “We had a tiny conversation. I saw him pretty frequently. He would always joke when a person would see him.”
“I knew him,” said another neighbor, Erica. “He was a nice guy.”
The victim’s belongings could be seen outside the building and on the fire escape – burnt and damaged.
Water damage from the fire is now seeping into the apartments below. Neighbors are now bagging up their things to prevent further damage.
“We have a lot of damage here,” said Erica. “I have a leaking kitchen, a leak in the bathroom.”
Like many of her neighbors, Erica is now waiting for help from the building’s super, and still trying to process what happened.
The man's identity has not been released.
