by C.J. SULLIVAN
A Brooklyn man died yesterday morning after careless smoking caused a fire in his building, FDNY officials said.
It took 60 firefighters about 20 minutes to put out the fire, which started inside the dead man's third-floor apartment on East 51st Street in Flatlands, the department said.
"The smoke got so bad you couldn't go out in the hallway," said neighbor James Roberts. "People had to go out on their terraces until they put it out."
Authorities did not identify the victim, but neighbors in the building identified him as Harvey Kudisch, 60.
One close friend said Kudisch had become increasingly depressed following the 2002 death of his wife.
"After he lost her, he didn't care anymore to live," said the man, who asked not to be identified. "You could see the life draining out of him."
Roberts said Kudisch smoked heavily, even after having one lung removed.
"The guy was a real smoker," he said. "Some of the people on his floor were complaining about the smell from the cigarettes."
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