A 61-year-old Queens man was killed in a fire at his Jamaica home early Wednesday morning, officials said.
The blaze broke out in the basement of a two-family home at 114-35 Bedell St. Firefighters rushed to the scene at around 4:30 a.m, officials said.
First responders found the homeowner, 61-year-old Colin Cyrus, unconscious in the blaze and severely burned. Medical personnel declared him dead at the scene. It was the second fatal house fire this week — a Brooklyn blaze Sunday killed a firefighter and civilian.
Ryan Degan, a spokesperson for the city's Buildings Department, said the cellar had been converted into an unregulated apartment where Cyrus appeared to be living. The agency told other tenants in the two legal apartments in the building that they had to vacate due to structural damage from the blaze. The agency issued violations for illegal occupancy and unpermitted work on the property.
The fire marshal is investigating the cause of Wednesday's fire, though officials said no criminality was suspected.
Seventy-two New Yorkers were killed in fatal fires last year, according to FDNY data. Through early March, 29 New Yorkers had died in fires.
This story has been updated with new information.
