A fire Monday morning torched a two-story Ridgewood apartment house, killing a bedridden, elderly man and injuring his mentally disabled son. However, according to neighbors, the heroic efforts of an Ozone Park resident prevented the casualty list from being much worse.
"I saw smoke and flames and started honking," said hero Ricardo Munoz, 31, of Ozone Park, who was dropping off his daughter around 8:20 a.m., when he noticed smoke coming from the house, located at 68-31 60th Street. "I think I woke up the whole neighborhood yelling and screaming."
Munoz said he was trying to get peoples attention and rouse anyone sleeping inside the house. He then entered the blazing two-story to see if he could help evacuate people. "I thought anyone in the house would be gone," Munoz said, noting that the smoke and fire was everywhere.
Inside, he saw a couple, the Rolons, coming down the stairs. Munoz also kicked open the door of a first floor apartment and saw Mark Reese, a 40-year-old man who neighbors said is mentally disabled, with a bucket of water trying to extinguish the fire inside his apartment. "He said my father, my father," recalled Munoz. Reese was trying to save his father, Howard Reese, 76, who was trapped in the blaze.
Munoz tried to take Mark Reese outside, but the man returned to his apartment to try to help his father.
Firefighters responded to a call at 8:28 a.m. and had the fire under control by 9:15 a.m. The fire gutted the entire house, which served as a four-unit apartment, though only three families were living there at the time. Two families were unharmed, but Howard Reese, who neighbors said had been ill for the past three months, died. His son was treated for smoke inhalation and taken to Elmhurst Hospital.
"He was covered in soot and his face was burnt," said Maria Vega, a neighbor from across the street, about the younger Reese.
Neighbors across the street who watched the blaze said the heat was so intense that the windows exploded.
Reggie Rolon, whose wife was recovering from surgery in their home, said that Munozs horn-honking stirred him from sleep. He then peeked his head out the window to check the commotion and got his first whiff of smoke, allowing him to safely flee with his wife.
"Theres an angel from Ozone Park," said Maria Vega about the good samaritan. "He was banging every window."
Neighbors said the Reeses had lived in the neighborhood for 20 to 25 years. They described the father and son as nice men who kept to themselves.
"They would sit on their steps and say, Have a good day, have a good day, to people who passed by," said Evelyn Rom, a neighbor from across the street, who saw the fire from her stoop. "They didnt bother anyone." Neighbors said they hadnt seen Howard Reese, who usually sat on the stoop and would buy the groceries for himself and his son, all summer.
Neighbors were unsure if the men had any relatives. They also said both men were heavy smokers. According to FDNY, fire marshals are still conducting an investigation, but preliminary reports indicate that the cause was accidental, and probably from careless smoking.
"It didnt even cross my mind," said Munoz when asked if he was concerned for his own safety when he entered the blazing house. "I just thought there was a lot of kids inside because they had off for Columbus Day. I thought everybody else would do the same."
