By Naeisha Rose
An Ozone Park grandfather died in an early Sunday morning fire that started in the basement breaker box, the NYPD and FDNY said.
EMS pronounced Mohinvei Singh, 68, dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
The one-alarm fire occurred at 106th Street near 97th Ave. around 2:37 a.m., according to a spokesman for the FDNY. Engine 285/Ladder 142 from South Ozone Park and Engine 294/Ladder 143 in Jamaica helped to extinguish the fire around 3:40 a.m..
After the FDNY put out the fire Singh was found in the basement of what was his residence, according to police.
The cause of the fire was an accidental ignition of natural gas, according to the FDNY’s Twitter feed Sunday afternoon.
The blaze began in the basement breaker box, according to FDNY officials.
Multiple news sources identified Singh as the landlord of a dozen residents in his three-story home. One of the tenants who was evacuated by his wife said he had a heart condition, NBC New York reported. It said she could not located him.
Neighbors said the grandfather of four who is survived by his wife and three children was a taxi driver for two decades. He originally came from the Punjab in India to the United States over 30 years ago.
The medical examiner is still determining the cause of death.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
