A 71-year-old man who walked with a cane died after he became trapped in a Queens house fire Friday, cops and neighbors said.
The fire broke out in the single-family home on 168th Place near Highland Ave. in Jamaica Hills around 1:20 p.m., according to FDNY officials.
A next-door neighbor called 911 after seeing thick plumes of black smoke pouring out of the home’s attic.
“The kids were in the backyard and they said the attic is on fire over there,” said the neighbor, who asked that her name be withheld. “We knew (the victim) lived in the attic.”
Another neighbor, Omari Rowe, 39, tried to alert residents of the burning house.
“I banged on the door and rang the bell, but no one answered,” Rowe said. “I was calling them to come out… praying that no one was injured, and then the Fire Department was here.”
More than 70 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics rushed to battle the blaze, pouring water on the fire for more than an hour before the “all clear” was called around 2:46 p.m., fire officials said.
The victim’s body was found in the home’s attic, according to law enforcement sources. Police are withholding the victim’s name pending family notification.
Neighbors and a housemate said they knew the victim as “Billy.”
“I can’t quite process this,” Alex Polakovich, who lived with the victim, said. “Billy was a Greek. A good Greek.”
A friend of the victim said the man’s knees bothered him and that he’d taken to walking with a cane.
“I don’t know the extent of the injury, but he started walking with a cane,” Jerry Dawes, 62, said. “His knees were giving him problems. He was getting slower as he was getting older.”
The victim was a retired administrator at St. John’s University in Queens. He had a passion for soccer, his friend said.
“Whenever he and his friends would get together, he would always invite me out for dinner. But our biggest love was the sport of soccer,” he said, “especially since he coached. We played together. I’m just going to miss him.”
“My heart is bleeding. I’m hurting. I’m going to miss him a lot. One of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet.”
One firefighter was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
A city fire marshal will determine the fire’s cause.