by Tony Sclafani
Two Manhattan firefighters crawled through a smoke-filled, high-rise apartment in Battery Park City yesterday to rescue an unconscious tenant.
The firefighters found 50-year-old Charles Maljar in his kitchen after a blaze erupted at 4:30 p.m. inside his 30th-floor apartment.
Ladder 10 Firefighter John Morabito, 37, helped drag Maljar to safety after Firefighter Dan Cavanaugh spotted the man on the kitchen floor.
Seconds later, Engine 6 firefighters doused the flames inside the Gateway Plaza complex on South End Ave.
"The smoke inhalation would have killed him for sure in a couple of minutes," said FDNY Lt. Anthony Matteo of Ladder 10. "They did a fantastic job."
Maljar's pulse was restored by paramedics as they rushed him to NYU Downtown Hospital, sources said. He was fighting for his life and in critical condition last night.
The fire was under control in less than 30 minutes. Its cause was being investigated, but sources said careless smoking may have set a mattress ablaze.
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