Estelle Stull died after the fire swept through her second-floor apartment at 93 Center Mall in Red Hook about 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Stull was dead by the time firefighters reached her in the bedroom.
Junk, including books, magazines, furniture and trash, was piled from floor to ceiling throughout the one-bedroom apartment.
"It was like climbing a mountain of garbage," said one of the firefighters.
"There was debris everywhere. There was furniture everywhere."
Another smoke-eater said: "You'd crawl and you'd sink into stuff."
Another firefighter said the apartment "was like an obstacle course."
The blaze was caused by an iron that Stull had accidentally left turned on, police sources said.
Neighbor Gertrude Holzendorf, 80, said the victim was churchgoing and enjoyed knitting.
"She was a nice person," said Holzendorf.
"She was always willing to sit down and talk."
Another neighbor described Stull as quiet and "really independent."
