Fifth Avenue fire victim identified

Police revealed the identity of the man who was killed during a fire in an apartment on Fifth Avenue and 80th Street Feb. 9.

Gregory Fernandez, 38, died at Maimonides Medical Center following the blaze. His wife and 2-year-old son were also taken to the hospital for treatment.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family. As of Feb. 13, $20,775 had been raised.

“The wife and mother, and their young son are both in the hospital recovering from their injuries,” the page says. “This mother and son will need to rebuild their lives. Their household goods are gone, and the loss of their husband and father is devastating. Anything you can donate to help this family would be so appreciated. All funds raised will be used to help with funeral expenses, household expenses, family travel to New York for support, etc.”

Fernandez worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

St. Ephrem’s Catholic Academy Principal Mike Phillips told this paper that Fernandez also coached in the school’s CYO basketball league, where his stepdaughter played.

“It is a tragedy what our family, and I say family as our school, has endured over the past couple of days,” he said. “[His stepdaughter] came from Visitation Academy after it closed. They decided to come here to be able to start new, so they’ve been with us for the past seven months and one of the biggest things for Gregory was he jump right into it and wanted to be a CYO basketball coach. When we were working on the registration, he got on the phone and said he wanted to coach.”

Phillips also said that the morning before the fatal fire Fernandez was planning to get involved with the school’s CYO baseball program.

“We’ve been praying every day for the family as we get minor updates,” he said. “We are going to be doing fundraising for the family.”

The fundraisers include a dress-down day and bake sale later this month, with all proceeds going to the family.

“He’s a great father and he’s a Navy veteran,” his father Gregory Fernandez Sr. told the Daily News. “He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a nurse. He was a male nurse. When he was in the navy, he was in the medical side of it. I’m just in shock. He was an amazing person. Everybody loved Greg.”

Darlene and Jason Fernandez, who called him their nephew on Facebook, also shared the news.

“RIP Gregory Nelson Fernandez,” the post read. “I’m still in shock, numb and in denial. I can’t believe [you’re] gone. You will be missed, nephew. Until we meet again. Please keep his wife and 2-year-old in your prayers.”

During a press conference, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said two vehicles parked next to fire hydrants made it harder for firefighters to battle the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.