Man, 83, killed by fire in his Queens apartment

An 83-year-old man was killed by a fire in his Queens apartment, authorities said Monday.

The blaze erupted in his home on 78th St. near Woodside Ave. in Elmhurst about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, according to FDNY officials.

Firefighters pulled the unconscious victim from his apartment and medics rushed him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens but he could not be saved, police said. His name was not immediately released.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Thirteen elderly New Yorkers died in fires during a six-week stretch ending in December. And on Jan, 29, two elderly women were killed in fires in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens that erupted within two hours of each other.