Firefighters including Lt. Ambelas, third from right, who saved 7-year-old Mendy Gottlieb, center, received plaques in June. FDNY
 
The blaze that killed a New York City firefighter late Saturday is preliminarily believed to have been caused by an accidental electrical fire connected to a bedroom air conditioner, a law-enforcement official said.
Lt. Gordon Ambelas, 40 years old, was pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital around 11 p.m. after being pulled unconscious from the apartment building in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, authorities said.
The second-alarm fire broke out just after 9 p.m. on the 19th floor of a 21-story building inside Independence Towers, a New York City Housing Authority complex on Wilson Street.

Lt. Ambelas, who had worked for the past several months in Brooklyn's Ladder 119, and other firefighters were searching for victims when the apartment became hot and smoky, prompting rescuers to evacuate to the hallway, the official said.That is when they realized Lt. Ambelas was missing. After conducting a search, he was located in the doorway of a bedroom.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Lt. Ambelas was removed by his fellow firefighters, who tried to revive him.


This photo taken on June 26, 2014, and released by the FDNY, shows Lt. Gordon Ambelas, who died at a hospital late Saturday night, July 5, 2014, after battling a blaze. Associated Press
 
"Tonight New York City and the FDNY (Fire Department of the City of New York) suffered a terrible and tragic loss," Mr. de Blasio said. "We have lost a real hero tonight and our hearts are heavy."

The official said a resident of the apartment interviewed by authorities said that he had plugged an air-conditioner into a power strip, using an extension cord, due to a lack of power in his bedroom. Other electrical items were also plugged into the power strip, according to the official.

Though the resident had been out of the apartment for three hours before the blaze began, he said there had been a burning smell earlier in the day, the official said.

NYCHA said that the fire is under investigation and that the agency is working with the FDNY.

A 14-year member of the FDNY, Lt. Ambelas, known by friends as Matt, had been assigned to ladder and engine companies in Staten Island and Manhattan before being promoted to lieutenant in September 2013. He was assigned to Brooklyn's Battalion 28, where he worked as a "covering" lieutenant in various firehouses, including most recently Ladder 119, according to the mayor's office.

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Investigators removed a burned air conditioning unit and electrical wire from the building where a fire killed a member of the FDNY Saturday. Sonja Sharp for The Wall Street Journal
 
"We are deeply shocked and saddened at the loss of one of our own—a devoted, veteran firefighter who had an enormous love for his job and our mission to help and save others," said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. 

Lt. Ambelas was among firefighters honored by the FDNY on June 23 for saving a 7-year-old boy who was trapped by a roll-down gate in May.

"[This incident] shows that FDNY members are always ready to help others. It was great teamwork all around," Lt. Ambelas said during the ceremony.

Lt. Ambelas was honored by the FDNY on June 23 for saving the life of 7-year-old boy Mendy Gotlieb, who was trapped by a roll-down gate at a Williamsburg garage in May. 

The Gotlieb family said it was shocked and devastated to learn of Lt. Ambelas's death.

"I hope that his family finds solace in the (fact) so many lives… are living on because of him," the Gotlieb family said in a statement. 

The firefighter is survived by his wife and two children.

Distressed relatives could be seen coming and going from Mr. Ambelas' family home in Great Kills, Staten Island, on Sunday morning.

Neighbors praised the firefighter as a family man who lived for his children. 

"He was just a good, all-round guy," said neighbor Mike Nolan, adding that he was "fantastic with his two daughters." 

Mr. Nolan said Lt. Ambelas helped out another neighbor going through a hard time by mowing her lawn, and could be seen walking his two young daughters to school and playing with them out front. 

Yvonne Rogers, who lives opposite the family and is godmother to Mr. Ambelas' youngest daughter, described him as "the best human being in the world."


"We were like family," she said. "He was like a brother. I'm so hurt."
Joe Jackson contributed to this article
 
 
Emergency personnel from the New York City's fire and police departments work at the scene of a fire at a public-housing high-rise building that led to the death of a firefighter. Associated Press