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by DEBORAH S. MORRIS
A Queens man died in an apartment fire Saturday, but a double tragedy was avoided when quick-thinking neighbors escorted an elderly woman from the burning house.
Although neighbors also tried to alert Robert Gentleman, 54, he died in the fire, on 69th Place in Maspeth.
The fire broke out just after 9 a.m. in the two-story, wood-frame house. Fire Department spokesman Kevin Nolan said the cause of the blaze appears to be careless smoking by Gentleman.
Charlotte Thuras, 94, who owns the house and lives in the first-floor apartment, did not suffer any injuries because frantic neighbors banged on the door until the hearing-impaired woman finally answered the door.
"She was so mellow because she didn't smell the smoke," said neighbor Pat Prusak, who guided Thuras to safety. "She couldn't imagine what all the banging was about."
"He was a heavy smoker," Fred Albright, Thuras' son, said of Gentleman. "But we had no problems with him. He added that Gentleman lived in the house for a year and a half. "I didn't know he smoked when we rented it [the apartment] to him," said Albright, 75, who lives a few blocks away.
The fire began in Gentleman's bedroom at 9:15 a.m. and was brought under control about a half-hour later. There were no other injuries.
"It was so hot that I thought it was going to melt our aluminum siding," said neighbor Barbara O'Regan, who said she saw smoke pouring from beneath a window air conditioner. "I could feel the heat."
She and her father, William O'Regan, a retired, 36- year Fire Department veteran, called 911.
"I know how fast these things go, especially with today's windy weather," William O'Regan said. "But the guys got here fast."
Albright said his mother has lived in the house for 50 years and has rented out the top apartment for years. He said Gentleman's apartment was remodeled recently and that he worked from home for Verizon.
"He hurt his back on Sept. 11 and had been working from home. He was sickly. He didn't get out much."
A Verizon spokesman could not confirm his employment at press time.
Prusak, who along with her husband, Walter, and son, Matthew, also called 911, said they tried to alert Gentleman too.
"I kept ringing and ringing his bell with no answer," Pat Prusak said. "It's a shame we couldn't do anything for Bob."
Albright, grateful that his mother was OK, thanked his neighbors and was happy to escort his mother to his house.
"I'm OK. Just a little nervous today," Thuras said.
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
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