by Tanangachi Mfuni and Jonathan Lemire
An elderly woman died of an apparent heart attack after she fled her burning Manhattan apartment building early Saturday, officials said.
The 78-year-old woman - identified by neighbors as Worstene Wright - collapsed as she ran down three flights of stairs after smoke filled her E. 21st. St. apartment.
"I saw the police officer. He was carrying her in his arms," said neighbor Richard Aguilar, 14. "I believe she had a panic attack because everybody was shouting 'Fire! Fire!'"
Neighbors said Wright, who lived in the five-story building for more than 40 years, suffered from heart and lung problems.
Though the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the blaze appears to have ignited in the kitchen of a neighboring third-floor apartment.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" screamed Lakeffer Ware, 35, who was not home when the blaze started. "It's so sad."
"I'm shocked and confused," said Ware, who was trying to salvage some clothes from her charred home. "I don't know what to do."
 |
