7 children killed in Brooklyn house fire

A fire tore through a Brooklyn home early Saturday morning, killing seven children and leaving two other people in critical condition, authorities said. The victims who died were all members of the

News 12 Staff

Mar 22, 2015, 6:36 AM

Updated 3,321 days ago

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7 children killed in Brooklyn house fire
A fire tore through a Brooklyn home early Saturday morning, killing seven children and leaving two other people in critical condition, authorities said.
The victims who died were all members of the same family. They have been identified as Eliane Sasson, 16; David, 12; Rivkah, 11; Yeshua, 10; Moshe, 8; Sara, 6; and Yaakob, 5.
Firefighters received the call at 12:23 a.m. about the blaze at a single-family home at 3371 Bedford Ave. in Midwood. More than 100 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control at around 1:30 a.m.
The survivors are a mother and her eldest daughter, who were able to jump from the structure, officials say.
It marks the deadliest fire in New York City in seven years, according to authorities.
Mayor Bill de Blasio toured the home at around noon Saturday and held a brief press conference afterward. He called the fire an "unbelievable tragedy," and said the community and the firefighters who responded to the scene would need time to heal. He commended the FDNY for its quick response time, noting that crews were at the scene less than four minutes after first being alerted to the fire.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the fire started in the kitchen on a hot plate. The device apparently overheated and broke out in flames that quickly spread to the home's second floor, where the family was sleeping. Investigators say there was no evidence of smoke detectors on the two main floors.
The seven children who died suffered both burns and smoke inhalation, Nigro said.


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