By Nicole Breskin and Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Staff
GREENWICH VILLAGE — A man was killed when a fire broke out at a Greenwich Village high-rise on Friday, fire officials said.
The blaze, which occurred at 12 E. 12th St., started just before 11:30 a.m. on the seventh floor of the 12-story building, according to the FDNY.
The 41-year-old man was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival, police said.
"I saw a lot of smoke coming out," said Zolton Papp, the superintendent of a nearby building. "The fireman came up to the building with a ladder and they pulled someone out. He was still breathing, but he was breathing heavily because of the smoke inhalation."
"He was a young guy with a little dog, he used to work in finance," said John Ritter, a resident of the building, about the man who was killed. "This is really tragic."
The Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order and a complaint against the building which said the apartment "where this fatality happened, the sprinkler line was cut off and not active."
A hearing is scheduled for May 13.
The building's ground floor is home to the popular restaurant Gotham Grill, which was closed temporarily as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.
"The windows were blown out and you could smell the fumes," said diner Florence Burnes, whose reservation was temporarily held over due to the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but appeared to have started because of a gas stove, FDNY officials said.
