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Man Found Dead After Richmond Hill Fire, Police Say

By  Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner | April 1, 2015 8:55am 

 A fire tore through the Lefferts Boulevard home Wednesday morning, police said.
A fire tore through the Lefferts Boulevard home Wednesday morning, police said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

QUEENS — A man was found dead in the attic of a vacant Richmond Hill apartment after a fire tore through it Wednesday morning, police said.

Investigators were still trying to identify the man whom they found inside 94-53 Lefferts Blvd., near 95th Avenue. The fire scorched the second floor and attic after erupting about 1:17 a.m., NYPD and FDNY officials said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

"There were flames a couple feet high coming from the top. They were orangish-red," said neighbor Skay Khatri, 21.

"There were a lot of firefighters. They were up on the ladders with a lot of hoses," Khatri said.

The blaze was brought under control about 1:50 a.m., the FDNY said.

The building was considered vacant and frequented by squatters, an NYPD spokeswoman said.

Fire marshals were still trying to figure out what sparked the blaze, officials said.