1 dead in apartment building fire in Sunnyside, Queens, FDNY says

One man was killed, another was critically injured, and a firefighter was hurt early Monday morning after a fire broke out inside an apartment building in Queens, the New York City Fire Department said. 

The fire started just before 2:40 a.m. on the second floor of a five-story building on 40th Street near Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, according to the FDNY. 

A man was pronounced dead at the scene and another was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was fighting for his life, officials said. A firefighter who was treated for smoke inhalation is expected to be OK.   

More than 20 fire units and nearly 80 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene, the FDNY said. First responders quickly went to work evacuating residents and knocking down the flames.

The fire was under control in less than an hour. 

Still, it was a terrifying scene for the building's residents to wake up to. One man said he ran outside as smoke filled the hallways. 

"I get out of bed and I see smoke coming into our apartment. I started to realize it's coming from underneath. So, I wake up my wife, we run out, and then we didn't see anyone outside. So I called 911 immediately. My wife was yelling 'Fire! Fire!' to let people know," he said.

Detectives and fire marshals were on the scene investigating what caused the fire.