GRAMERCY — A man was critically injured and his dog killed in an early-morning fire at an East 24th Street apartment building, authorities and witnesses said.
The blaze broke out inside a third-floor apartment at 124 E. 24th Street shortly before 2:45 a.m., the FDNY said.
The 50-year-old victim suffered life-threatening injuries in the fire, including severe burns over nearly half his body, and was taken to New York Hospital, fire sources said. His pet pit bull also died in the blaze, a neighbor said.
“I heard a dog screaming in pain. I smelled smoke,” said the victim’s next-door neighbor, Stephanie Weiner, 68. “I looked outside, and there was smoke billowing out.”
The neighbor added that she heard someone yelling for help and that the man looked to be “in bad shape” after the blaze.
A firefighter also suffered minor injuries in the incident and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
The blaze was eventually brought under control at 3:20 a.m., fire officials said.
The building’s superintendent, who declined to provide his name, said the fire appeared to break out in the man’s living room while he was asleep on the couch.
The superintendent added that the fire only affected the one apartment and didn’t cause extensive damage to the unit.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the blaze.
