Man killed in Kingsbridge Road fire

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A man died in a two-alarm fire at a 221 W. Kingsbridge Road house last week, according to authorities.

They did not release his name, but employees of the nearby Luna Deli Mini Market said he was a co-worker named Gabriel “El Tali” Cortez. A flyer at the deli, where Mr. Cortez made deliveries, said he was 53.

The FDNY said it received a call for the blaze at 10:06 p.m. on Jan. 27 and more than 25 units reached the scene minutes later. A total of 106 FDNY personnel were on hand to fight the flames.

While the FDNY’s Office of Public Information did not answer questions about the cause of the fire, a tweet from a FDNY account said it was due to “careless use of open flame/sterno.” 

The flyer about Mr. Cortez at the 2820 Bailey Ave. deli where he worked said a memorial service for him was held on Monday at R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home on Broadway.

December, the most recent month for which there were FDNY data, saw 2,616 structural fire incidents citywide.

Will Speros, FDNY