Man dies in Bethel apartment building fire

A man died on Thursday, June 16 in the Sullivan County town of Bethel when a two-story apartment building caught fire, according to the New York State Police. 

The fire, which fully engulfed a building located at 1240 Route 17B, possibly began in a downstairs apartment as a result of a cooking accident, police said in a press release.

When the first of nine fire departments and two EMS companies arrived at the scene, they found 45-year-old Richard Burke trapped in an upstairs apartment during the fire. Burke was pronounced dead a short time later at Catskill Regional Medical Center, police say. 

Another man was treated for minor burns and released, police say.