PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS — A Brooklyn man mourned the loss of a his mother who was killed in inside her Brooklyn home Monday night after a cigarette sparked a fire that swept through the building.
Ryan Thomas' mother Patricia Thomas, 64, was found on the second floor of 203 Fenimore St., near Bedford Avenue, after the blaze erupted there about 6:05 p.m. before spreading into the attic, NYPD and FDNY officials said.
"I loved her. She was the only person in my life," the younger Thomas said as he stood in front of the wreckage of the home Tuesday morning.
"She was a hard-working woman. She worked hard for the city. She did a lot for mental health," he added.
#FDNY members on scene of 2-alarm fire at 203 Fenimore St #Brooklyn. Follow @FDNYalerts for 24/7 automated updates pic.twitter.com/v0w4hrVzZu
— FDNY (@FDNY) April 18, 2016
Thomas, who lived in the building, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The medical examiner will determine her cause of death, officials said.
About 106 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control by 7:43 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
One civilian and eight firefighters were treated for minor injuries, FDNY officials said.
The civilian and three firefighters were treated at Kings County Hospital, while the rest went to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, officials said.
Fire marshals determined that the blaze was accidentally sparked by a cigarette, according to the FDNY.
#FDNY Fire Marshals: Cause of 4/18 fatal fire at 203 Fenimore St #Brooklyn was accidental, smoking. Smoke alarms present, not operational
— FDNY (@FDNY) April 19, 2016
