A Brooklyn neighborhood is mourning after a blaze sparked by a hot plate killed 7 children and critically injured their mother and teenage sister.
The blaze early on Saturday at a home at Bedford Avenue and Avenue M in Midwood claimed the lives of four boys and three girls between the ages of 5 and 15, according to fire officials. The tragedy, which is the deadliest fire in the city in 7 years, has members of the community mourning on what is a day of rest and religious observance in the community, which has a sizable population of Orthodox Jews.
Fire officials say that the blaze was likely sparked by a hot plate, which had been left on overnight to heat food for the Sabbath and malfunctioned around midnight.
The flames spread through the home quickly, and without any smoke detectors to alert the family of the flames, all the children became trapped. Their mother and one teenage girl, 14, were able to escape by jumping out of the windows. The other 7 children were all found in bedrooms and were either pronounced dead at the scene or shortly thereafter at area hospitals.
Saturday, as many headed out to clear snow or walk to temple, members of the Midwood community had stunned faces as they went by the gutted remains of the house. One woman, Becky, said she knew the family personally.
“Her kids were very active and they used to wash cars before Passover,” she said. “She was very involved in the community. It’s a terrible loss.”
Another neighbor said he would see the children playing often, and that the entire community is grieving from the loss.
“To the neighborhood, it’s devastating,” he said.
The children’s grandparents, in Deal, New Jersey, were notified of the fatal fire early Saturday. Police tell NBC 4 New York their grandmother fainted upon hearing the news. Their grandfather declined comment.
The father of the children was out of town at a conference at the time of the blaze, firefighters say.
A vigil outside the home is planned for 7 p.m. Sunday.
Photo Credit: AP