News (USA)

Recently married gay man dies after trying to escape NYC high-rise fire

Recently married gay man dies after trying to escape NYC high-rise fire
Daniel McClung (left)  and Michael Todd Cohen.
Daniel McClung (left) and Michael Todd Cohen.

NEW YORK — A New York man died and his newlywed husband was critically injured after trying to escape a fire that erupted in their high-rise Manhattan apartment building Sunday morning.

Daniel McClung, 27, and Michael Todd Cohen, 32, were found in a stairwell near the 31st floor of the 42-story condominium building, suffering from smoke inhalation and burns after the three-alarm fire erupted more than 10 stories below.

McClung was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died, reported WNBC-TV. Cohen was in serious but stable condition on Sunday night.

Neighbors said the couple married last July.

McClung was a playwright and fiction writer who worked for the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, according to his online profile.

WNBC-TV has more on the fire:

More than 200 firefighters responded to put out the blaze, and it took nearly two hours to get it under control.

New York Fire Department officials said Monday a faulty extension cord caused the fire.

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