UPDATE: GLAAD is criticizing The New York Times for what they say is biased coverage of the death of Lorena Escalera.
Officials have identified a young transsexual woman who died in a fire that broke out early Saturday in Bushwick.
The FDNY received a call around 4 a.m. reporting flames pouring out of an apartment building at 47 Furman Ave.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze at around 4:15 a.m., they discovered 25-year-old Lorena Escalera unconscious in apartment #3. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
Escalera, a dancer who goes by the stage name “Lorena Xtravaganza,” performed at clubs such as Splash, Peligro and El Morocco.
Escalera’s Facebook fan page has photos of her performing in glittering, sexy outfits including an homage to J. Lo, which included a sparkly, sheer outfit mirroring the cat suit Lopez wore on New Year’s Eve.
Escalera described herself as an honest and humble person living in Brooklyn, but born and raised in Puerto Rico.
According to reports, she also worked as an escort, who advertised her services online.
Fire officials told Metro that the cause of the fatal blaze is still under investigation, but the New York Times reported that the fire has been deemed suspicious. Escalera was last seen bringing two unidentified men into the apartment.
