Man found dead after suspicious fire in E. Boston

Living in an illegal basement apartment, working in a downtown restaurant, and sending money back home, Galdamez eked out an existence for nearly a decade, until the 28-year-old’s life was cut short yesterday morning, under suspicious circumstances linked to a fire in East Boston.

Boston firefighters were summoned to 877 Saratoga St. around 8 a.m. yesterday, where a small fire was contained to the basement, sparing serious damage for the families that live on the first and second floors. As firefighters were making their way into the basement, however, they discovered Galdamez lying dead in a bed, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll called the death suspicious, and MacDonald said that the fire, which occurred in the tiny basement studio where Galdamez lived, was also suspicious. Boston police and fire officials and the Suffolk district attorney are investigating the death and the cause of the fire. Authorities obtained a search warrant to examine the premises yesterday, Driscoll said.

Lisa Timberlake, a spokeswoman for the city’s Inspectional Services Department, said that the apartment was illegal and that the house was only approved for apartments on the first and second floors.

Family and friends gathered in tears around Saratoga Street yesterday. No one seemed to understand why someone would want to hurt the quiet, hard-working immigrant.

Officials did not release Galdamez’s name yesterday, but he was identified by relatives.

An aunt — Lilian Ciulla, 34, of Methuen — sobbed as she described how Galdamez was raised by his grandmother, who is about 84, and how he always sent money back home to her.

“I don’t know how we’re going to tell her,’’ Ciulla said.

Ciulla, who along with other relatives believes Galdamez’s death was not an accident, said he had no enemies and had never been in trouble.

“You cannot really know how someone could do something like this to someone like that,’’ she said. “If I knew that he was involved in something, I could understand, but he wasn’t.’’

Ciulla said Galdamez’s father is a farmer in their home country. She said that Jaime Galdamez came to this country illegally, but received work authorization from the federal government. That allowed him to stay here and work, but it meant he could not return to the United States if he left the country. He never saw his grandmother again, Ciulla said.

Oscar Flores, 28, stood in tears across the street from the scene. Flores and Galdamez were roommates for years and have known each other since Galdamez first arrived in the country about eight years ago.

“He was a good roommate,’’ Flores said. “He liked to play Nintendo with my brother and my 6-year-old son.’’

Although many of Galdamez’s family members had not talked to him in recent weeks, Flores spoke with him just a few days ago. Galdamez was planning to move into an apartment in Flores’s house in East Boston.

Officials did not know yesterday if Galdamez died in the fire or before it broke out. If he died as a direct result of the fire, it would be the first fire fatality in Boston this year and the first since two people died in another East Boston fire on May 29, 2010, MacDonald said.

MacDonald said one firefighter suffered a back injury and was hospitalized for treatment.

Mike Bello of the Globe staff contributed to this report. John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.