One man was killed early Saturday when a fire broke out in a 10th floor apartment of an Upper West Side building that provides subsidized housing for the elderly.
The victim was not immediately publicly identified and no one else was hurt, according to the FDNY, which said 20 units and 78 fire and EMY personnel responded to the 7:30 am blaze at 111 West 71st Street.
Juan, 31, who works in maintenance at the building, which is for people 62 years and older, called the victim “a nice guy.”
“He was a quiet guy who kept to himself. He was just in and out,” Juan told The Post.
“It’s sad to see him go like that…Nobody should have to go out that way,” he said, adding, “I feel good that the others are okay.”
Photographs showed two broken windows on the building’s 10th floor.
Upper West Sider Renee McKenna helped Juan sweep up the glass on the sidewalk below.
“I just wanted to help the old people so I came to clean up. This is crazy. It’s tragic – it’s sad,” said McKenna.
“New York firefighters were out in force. They did a good job,” she added.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.
A waiting list for a studio at the 12-story, 112-unit building, called the Hargrave House, is up to four years.
