The fire that killed a man inside a four-family brownstone in Brooklyn New Year's Day has been determined to be accidental, the result of someone smoking in the house, fire officials say.
The fire on Jefferson Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant last Friday afternoon was initially thought to be suspicious because it started in the stairwell and was of such a large size in the middle of the day.
Further details on the cause of the fire -- like who may have been smoking or how it ignited -- weren't immediately offered.
The fire was centered on the third floor of the home, but started in a stairwell between the second and third floors, officials said.
Authorities identified the victim as 56-year-old Michael Floyd on Friday evening. Neighbors say he shared an apartment with his brother, who tried desperately to save him but wasn't able to get past a wall of flames.
Floyd was found dead in his bed, firefighters said. There were four people in the apartment at the time of the blaze, including Floyd and his brother.
A firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to Kings County Hospital. He or she was expected to be OK.
