Jewish man burned in UES apt. blaze

A mentally disturbed man was badly burned when the kitchen in his upper east side apartment caught fire, officials said.

The blaze broke out at 1:25 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the East 78th Street building near York Avenue.
“We banged on the door and smelled the smoke and so we shouted to see if anyone was in there, but there was no answer,” said the building’s super.

Firefighters broke into the apartment through a window and rescued the victim, identified as Samuel Fischer, 52, who was allegedly laying on a bed.

The victim has a home attendant, but the super said he hasn’t seen her in a while.
“He was always in his own little world, standing in the corners of the building and talking to himself,” said neighbor Martin Rayner, 60.

It is unclear what started the fire, but firefighters said the man was a little “kooky” and might have started it by accident.

The flames were extinguished after 30 minutes. Fischer was rushed to New York Hospital in serious condition.