By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HARLEM — A woman died in a late-night fire at a Lenox Terrace apartment on Sunday, officials said.
When firefighters arrived at the 16th floor apartment at 25 W. 132nd St., they encountered “Collyers’ mansion” conditions, a term used to describe excessive amounts of clutter, a New York Fire Department spokesman said. It is a reference to the Harlem townhouse where two brothers, Homer and Langley Collyer, were found dead in 1947 amid tons of debris, including phonebooks, newspapers and other collected paraphernalia.
Sunday night’s victim, believed to be about 50 years old, was found in the bathroom. It was not immediately clear how she died.
The fire, reported at 10:44 p.m., was under control in about a half hour, a fire department spokesman said. There were no other reported injuries.
The building one of several high-rises that comprise the Lenox Terrace apartment complex between Lenox and Fifth avenues. Gov. David Paterson and Rep. Charles Rangel live in other buildings in the complex.
