The fire was reported at a building on 78th Street in Elmhurst just before 7:30 p.m.
Firefighters found the man in a smoke-filled rear bedroom and pulled him out. Despite efforts to save his life with CPR, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The FDNY faced two critical challenges: a frozen hydrant and a car parked in front of another hydrant at the scene.
And witnesses say there are no standpipes in the building, so firefighters had to manually carry the hose up to the sixth floor.
The fire, which was contained to the one apartment, was eventually brought under control. The cause is under investigation.
The identity of the victim has not yet been released.
The FDNY returned to the scene on Monday morning to check the apartment, along with inspectors from the Department of Buildings, and a car was still parked in front of the hydrant -- but a different car than the night before.
The deadly incident happened less than a week and just a half mile away from a raging fire that killed a 34-year-old woman and her newborn baby girl.
According to the FDNY, the most recent case was the 16th fatal fire -- less than two months into the new year.
And just last week, 7 On Your Side Investigates reporter Dan Krauth looked at the growing problem of blocked fire hydrants and how the FDNY is cracking down on violators.
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