The fire in a high-rise building that killed a man and critically injured his new husband in a Manhattan high-rise building was electrical, caused by an extension cord, the FDNY said.
Daniel McClung, 27, died and 32-year-old Michael Todd Cohen was hurt after the fire erupted in the 42-story building on West 43rd Street Sunday.
They were found in a stairwell near the 31st floor, more than 10 stories above where the fire started on the 20th floor.
FDNY Chief of Operations James Esposito said Monday that there was a Christmas tree in the apartment where the fire began, but it wasn't clear if the cord was somehow connected to the tree in some way.
Cohen is in stable condition at a hospital. The couple married in July, neighbors told NBC 4 New York.
More than 200 firefighters responded to put out the blaze, and it took nearly two hours to get it under control.
Crews got to the scene quickly, but it took some time for firefighters to reach the higher floors.
"In a building this size, it takes a lot of firefighters to get up to the upper floors," assistant chief John Sudnik said. "It requires a lot of resources and it takes time."
Seven other residents and some firefighters had some minor injuries.
The management board for the building said in an email to residents Monday that the building had reopened, except for the 20th floor and some apartments on the 21st floor.
