Manhattan Plaza, the building in which she lived, is largely populated by artists and local actors. Firefighters later found Eng unconscious on her apartment floor. Her neighbor – Good Wife star Dylan Baker – tried to save her from the blaze, but was unable to get to her. Eng was 51.
Advertisement
The Good Wife actor Baker tells Nbcnewyork.com, “When I opened the door, it was a full-fledged fire”. He called 911, which dispatched the fire department. I banged on the door (to Eng’s apartment) and shouted her name.
Baker rushed his family outside – and was the one to dial 911. “I opened it and there were flames in the apartment and there was smoke everywhere”, Baker said Wednesday. “It was terrifying”.
The fire started due to a “careless discard of smoking materials”, Fire Marshals said. A Deadline request for information from FDNY about the fire – in particular whether smoke and fire alarms were in place and in working order in the building, a high-rise tower dating from the 1970s – had not been addressed.
Eng’s health had declined in recent years, she used a walker and had already spent time in the hospital earlier this year, friends said.
Advertisement
Vivien Eng, a Broadway actress who was featured in the 1996 ensemble of The King and I, died Thursday after suffering injuries from an apartment fire. Eng also appeared in Paper Mill Playhouse’s Chess production and a regional revival of West Side Story. She suffered from myopthy, a degenerative muscle disease, and arthritis.
