A 95-year-old man died Tuesday of injuries from an inferno that erupted the previous night in his clutter-filled SoHo apartment, with his 70-year-old son still clinging to life.
The death was announced on Twitter by local Councilman Erik Bottcher, who wrote, “Our thoughts go out to the victim’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
Rescuers pulled the father and son from the fire that scorched their fourth-floor Sullivan St. apartment between Prince and Spring Sts. around 9 p.m. Monday.
In addition to battling the smoke and fire, New York’s Bravest had to navigate narrow hallways and dense clutter, slowing their efforts to reach the victims, according to Deputy FDNY Chief Michael Barvels.
“There was an apartment with very tight hallways, which were full of clutter that delayed our access to the apartment,” he said Monday.
Both father and son were treated by paramedics and rushed Monday night in critical condition to Lenox Health Greenwich Village, where the older victim died Tuesday, police confirmed.
Firefighters on the scene likened conditions inside the victim’s apartment to the infamous Collyers Mansion, a Harlem home found stuffed with more than 140 tons of junk in 1947, which has become a national byword among first responders for dangerous hoarding conditions.