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An elderly man was killed and two women were hospitalized after a fire in an apartment in Harlem Wednesday night.
According to fire officials, the fire started in the second-floor kitchen of a four-story brownstone at the corner of West 122nd Street and Lenox Avenue shortly after 7 p.m.
Firefighters said the fire alarms were working, but they found it hard to rescue people and extinguish the flames. Both tasks were accomplished by 7:40 p.m.
"Lot of smoke, a lot of rubbish in the apartment, it was very difficult to conduct our searches," said Fire Chief Jim Hutchins.
The injured women, who were in their 60s, were taken to Harlem Hospital.
Neighbors said the 85-year-old man who died was longtime community resident "Mr. Foster," who lived on the top floor and was unable to escape.
Alvin Reed, the owner of nearby Lenox Lounge, had a picture of the man from the 1930s.
"Mr. Foster is like a legend around here, everybody knows him all throughout the community," said Reed.
"He was a good old man, and it's a very sad thing for him to pass like that after living so long," said neighbor Latief Johnson. "He was a community man that everyone loved."
Fire officials said four other people suffered injuries.
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