Man Killed in New York Apartment Fire

An elderly woman was killed in a fire that gutted her Washington Heights apartment yesterday, authorities said.

Bertha Ortiz, 77, was inside the fourth-floor apartment at 701 W. 175th St. when the blaze started at about 4 p.m. She died at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

The blaze, which also destroyed a fifth-floor apartment, appeared to be accidental, authorities said.

Ortiz was an "extraordinarily active, independent woman" who lived there for more than 30 years, said Orlando Buird, a relative.

She lived with her brother, who was not home, and her two beloved dogs, who also perished.

"Everyone in the building will remember her as the lady with the dogs," Buird said.