By Ben Fractenberg and Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Staff
BROOKLYN — A man was seriously injured trying to escape a raging house fire in Bushwick Monday morning after he fell more than five stories from a window ledge, fire officials and witnesses said.
The blaze at 29 Cook St., near Graham Avenue, which broke out at 10:41 a.m., also left a dog dead, according to fire officials at the scene.
The pitbull, which belonged to roommate of the man who fell from the window ledge, was trapped in its cage and died from smoke inhalation, fire officials said.
But firefighters were able to rescue another dog that was in the apartment at the time by digging through rubble after the blaze was under control.
The chihuahua was quickly taken to a vet to recover, said police at the scene.
Witnesses said the man had climbed out the back window of the apartment, where there was no fire escape, and onto an air conditioner trying to flee the flames.
"I saw him hanging from the ledge. He was [also standing] on an AC unit in the window," said Modesto Gonzalez, 40. When the unit tilted, the man fell into the alley below, Gonzalez added.
Witness Marylyl Rodrigo, who lives below the man's apartment, said that she heard a man screaming for help and looked out the window.
"He was holding onto the window [ledge]," she said. "I told him to hold on, but it was too late. He fell."
At that point, her ceiling started to shake, so she grabbed her dog and made a dash for safety.
The man was discovered in an alley behind the building and was taken to Woodhull Hospital in critical condition, the FDNY said.
According to officials, the man's roommate escaped the fire through the front door of the apartment, where the blaze was contained.
The 65 firefighters who responded to the scene brought the blaze under control at 11:15 a.m., fire officials said.
