A 64-year-old man was found dead in the rear of a Queens home that caught fire early Friday, FDNY officials said.
The victim, described as a hoarder, may have set the fire that killed him to keep warm, sources with knowledge of the case said.
Firefighters were called to the 46th St. home near 39th Ave. in Sunnyside just before 3 a.m. as high winds buffeted the city.
FDNY officials said a fire had broken out on the first floor.
When firefighters entered the building, they found the victim sprawled out on the floor in a backroom.
The man died at the scene. His name was not immediately disclosed as police track down family members.
FDNY officials said the fire tore through the two-story home and extended to the awning of a home next door.
Firefighters put out the fire by 4 a.m. One firefighter with minor injuries was taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center with a minor injury.
FDNY fire marshals have been tasked with determining what sparked the fire, although there was evidence at the scene that the victim may have set the fire himself to keep warm, a source with knowledge of the investigation said.
A preliminary investigation determined the fire to be suspicious, officials said.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News
The victim may have set the fire that killed him to keep warm, sources said. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
