BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A 61-year-old man was found dead in his first-floor apartment after a fire tore through it Thursday morning, officials said.
Steve Dodson was found inside his home at 740 Herkimer St., near Fulton Street, after firefighters extinguished a blaze that started about 3 a.m., FDNY and NYPD officials said.
He was taken to Interfaith hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
"He was a nice man. He helped everyone. He was one of the sweetest people you're ever going to meet," neighbor Pamela Jordan said while choking back tears.
Jordan said she had a conversation with Dodson about 30 minutes before the fire began.
"I can't believe it. I saw him every day," Jordan added.
About 60 firefighters brought the blaze under control about 3:30 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
The city's medical examiner will determine his cause of death.
Fire marshals were still trying to figure out what sparked the blaze.