A man was killed Sunday in his West 162nd Street apartment after smoking in bed, according to relatives.
"I feel so bad, real bad," said Nedia Ortiz, the 55-year-old victim's sister. "That was my brother." Police did not immediately release the man's name following the incident.
About 60 firefighters responded to the fire near Ogden Avenue after 3 a.m., where they found the man in critical condition. He was transported to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Fire officials said most of the damage was contained to the third floor and didn't affect a barbershop on the ground floor or other units. The official cause of the blaze is under investigation.