Two Fires, Two Deaths on the UWS in One 12-day Stretch
Firefighters brought a blaze under control in 40 minutes on Oct. 24 but a victim who was rescued from the nine-story apartment on Columbus Ave. and rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital could not be revived. He’s the second person to die in a fatal fire on the UWS in less than two weeks.
| 25 Oct 2024 | 04:19
Firefighters brought a blaze under control in 40 minutes but a 64 year old man who was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital in critical conditin by EMS subsequently died. (
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Two firefighters ascend a ladder on W. 88th St. on Oct. 12 in which a 72-year-old man subsequently died on the fourth floor of a five story apartment building. (
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In what could be a macabre coincidence, for the second time in less than two weeks, a fire erupted at 9:16 p.m. and an unconscious senior citizen who was rescued from a blaze on an upper floor of a smoke filled apartment subsequently died.
In the most recent fire, it took firefighters only 40 minutes to bring a blaze at a NYCHA apartment building on the Upper West Side under control on Oct. 24, but a 64-year-old man who was pulled from the ninth floor and rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital could not be saved.
The fire, which came in at 9:16 p.m., eventually drew 20 units of firefighters and EMS personnel to 850 Columbus Ave. near 104th St. and was brought under control by 9:57 p.m.
The victim was believed to have succumbed to smoke inhalation. Police did not release the victim’s name, pending notification of family members.
Two other firefighters on the scene also suffered minor injuries and were transported to St. Luke’s.
An FDNY spokesperson said that the “cause and origin is under investigation by fire marshals.”
The latest victim is the second person to die in a fatal fire on the UWS in a 12-day period. On Oct. 12, a 72-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive in a fire at 208 W. 88th St.
According to an FDNY spokesperson, firefighters found “smoke/fire on the fourth floor of a five-story multiple-dwelling building at 208 West 88th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.”
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries in that blaze.
FDNY officials had not commented by presstime if there was any suspected link between the two fatal blazes.