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by NANCY DILLON and FERNANDA SANTOS
A homeless Polish immigrant died early yesterday after a quick-moving fire burned part of a Brooklyn warehouse where he frequently slept, authorities said.
Firefighters sliced through a metal gate to pull Zdzislaw Pistowski from the smoldering building at 66 N. Henry St. in Greenpoint, officials said.
The structure also housed JZB Construction, which often employed Pistowski as a night watchman, co-workers said.
Pistowski, 46, died at Woodhull Hospital at 2:16 a.m., about 20 minutes after the blaze erupted.
"I'm still in shock," JZB owner Janusz Malinowski said as he stood outside his charred business.
"He didn't have a place to stay, so I let him sleep here," Malinowski, 47, said. "I can't believe he's gone."
Pistowski immigrated to the U.S. three years ago, after the Polish economy soured and he lost the auto body shop he owned, friends said.
The divorced father of three tried to start fresh in Brooklyn, but struggled with a drinking problem, co-workers said.
"He was a great guy," said Malinowski's son, Bart. "Like a lot of immigrants, he came here looking for a better life."
Bart Malinowski, 23, added that Pistowski was a heavy smoker. The cause of the fire remained under investigation last night, an FDNY spokesman said.
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