I've never been in a raging fire, but the property seems to be very open and spacious with no obvious choke points, how does one end up so trapped, and without realizing a fire is breaking out?
My guess is he passed out from the smoke inhalation first while asleep and was burned.
I can tell you from having been in a building that had a major fire, the speed with which smoke and fire spreads is hard to imagine. Within 30 seconds of the alarm, halls where filled with choking smoke.
I managed to exit without too much difficulty, but even with covering my face with my shirt, I was still coughing and black gunk coming out my nose for the rest of the day. Others needed oxygen support even after being in the smoke for minutes at most.
If you’re ever in a house or building when an alarm goes off, don’t think you have time to ponder the situation... just move outside to safety immediately.
I used to work at the Davenport and recognized the building immediately from the pictures. I didn’t realize there was a major fire at One Broadway. Glad you made it out safely and thanks for the advice.
In addition to what the other user said, people don't always have as many alarms installed as they should. There should be at least one on every floor.
But besides that, sometimes the fire just starts in an area that doesn't immediately set off the alarm due to whatever quirk of the floor plan and the passageways. If you're a heavy sleeper, and alone, in the time the alarm takes to wake you, the fire might have grown from that spot enough to block an exit.
My guess is he passed out from the smoke inhalation first while asleep and was burned.