East Village Fire Claims Life of Air Force Vet; 2 Others Injured, Dog Saved
The deceased was a 75-year-old man who a neighbor said was a long-time resident of the building on Second Avenue. Firefighters managed to save the victim’s dog.
| 03 Feb 2025 | 04:44
Firefighters respond to a fire in the East Village on Feb. 2 in which a 75-year-old resident died in his second- floor apartment. (
)
Debris that firefighters tossed from the second-floor apartment where the fire erupted lies on the sidewalk outside the six-story building on Second Avenue near East 4th Street. One person died in the Feb. 2 fire. (
)
Police check ID of resident Steven Planter, who lived on the fourth floor. Planter knew the 75-year-old man who died and described him as “old school, a stand-up guy.” The cause of the fire is under investigation. (
)
Firefighters seen on roof of building on Second Avenue. on Feb. 2, which was the scene of a fatal fire on the second floor earlier that day. (
)
A deadly fire on the second floor of a six-story building claimed the life of a 75-year-old man on Feb. 2. Two other residents suffered minor injuries, but the victim’s dog was rescued by firefighters and handed over to a neighbor.
The victim was discovered unconscious and apparently overcome by smoke in a second-floor bedroom. The fire erupted shortly after 10 a.m.
”He was old-school, a stand up guy,” said a building resident, Steven Palter, of the victim, whom he identified as “Robert.”
Firefighters, who received the alarm at 10:22 a.m., were able to save the victim’s small dog. A neighbor took the dog to an animal hospital.
Planter said he was in his fourth-floor apartment, two floors above the blaze, when he was awoken by beeping smoke detectors. “I opened my door and the hallway was filled with smoke,” he said. He heard fire-engine sirens in the distance racing to the scene and quickly made his way outside.
He said his late friend had been in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and suffered an injury. He said the victim’s small dog was his constant companion.
Another neighborhood resident named Maria said, “Firefighters came out with a dog and handed it to my friend. She’s at the animal hospital with the dog now.” She said the current condition of the dog was unknown and efforts to get in touch with the other neighbor were not successful.
The FDNY said about 60 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the blaze, which was extinguished by 11:09 a.m. By 2:30 p.m., police were allowing residents to go back into the building to retrieve belongings. Debris from the burned-out second-story apartment, including a charred mattress, littered the sidewalk in front of the building. Firefighters had tossed the items while clearing the room where the fire erupted.
Fire marshals were investigating the cause of the blaze, an FDNY spokesperson said. Police said the victim’s ID was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The city medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
”He was old-school, a stand-up guy.” Steven Palter, on his friend killed in fire.