The fire broke out in a two-story private house on 36th Avenue in Bayside just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
Dramatic video showed the flames engulfing the home, as firefighters attacked it from all angles.
More than 100 firefighters came out to battle the inferno, and they had trouble getting in and saving an 82-year-old due to the home being cluttered.
"You're going in and you can't see anything," said Battalion Chief Brian Deery of Division 14. "You have a clutter condition where going in you're searching and you're bouncing into things, it's hard to walk to maneuver and search. So, it kind of delays the search."
Crews and the FDNY Fire Marshal's office spent most of the morning trying to control the fire and going through the remains of the home.
Family members and neighbors, like Inna Shapiro, say they're heartbroken to know the 82-year-old didn't make it.
"My condolences to the family," said Shapiro, who lives across the street and was stunned to see her neighbor's home go up in flames. "It's a horrible thing."
Parts of two homes that surrounded the property were also melted by the heavy flames.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal's office.
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