A fire in a Bronx apartment building that killed three young children Friday night was accidental and was caused by burning candles, according to fire marshals.
Police say the mother of the children had candles burning in the apartment.
Con Edison said that the power was shut off to the apartment.
The fire broke out just before 8 p.m. Friday in an apartment on 165th Street in Highbridge.
Three boys – 4-month old Michael Turner, 2-year-old Jeremiah Artis and 5-year-old Elijah Artis – were killed.
The 25-year-old mother was able to get out with a 4-year-old girl and a 4-month-old girl who is believed to be Michael’s twin.
Fire marshals determined the fire to be accidental and said that there were no working smoke alarms in the apartment.
“She was yelling out the window. She saw me, she yelled, ‘Fire!’,” said Cynthia Woods, a friend of the victims. “So I ran upstairs to the apartment and I kicked the door open and I tried to go in and get the kids ’cause I hear the kids hollering, but the fire was real heavy, so I fell and I couldn’t get into the house to save the kids. I couldn’t get them. I just couldn’t get the kids out. I hear them crying, and they was burning, and I couldn’t get them. I couldn’t get them out. I tried.”
“The fireman ran out with a young kid,” said neighbor Maria Cancel. “Everybody was running up the block behind the fireman. The mom was screaming. Everybody ran up there. The fireman threw the baby down by the ambulance to start the CPR. Just seeing one kid just frozen, like, there was so much residue, he was so burnt up, badly burnt.”
The mother and daughters were treated for smoke inhalation.
Brooklyn Funeral Home and Cremation Service has offered to cover the funeral costs for the family.
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via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
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