Overview
- The blaze erupted just before 7:20 p.m. at an apartment complex on 78th Street between Broadway and Woodside Avenue in Elmhurst, Queens.
- Nearly 90 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene, according to the FDNY.
- Crews found the victim unconscious in the rear bedroom of a sixth-floor unit during heavy fire and widespread smoke conditions, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
- FDNY Deputy Chief Jeff Meister said vehicles parked on hydrants impede operations citywide by delaying water access.
- Authorities said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.