The three children and adult killed in an inferno that devoured a Bronx home a day ago have been identified, as the father who tried so desperately to hammer down a door -- then break a window -- grapples with profound loss.
Officials on Monday identified the victims in the multi-level blaze on Quimby Avenue as 10-year-old Kalheed Waleed Ban Saleh, 12-year-old Mohamed Waleed Ahmed, 10-month-old Barah Saleh and 22-year-old Ahmed Saleh.
Two other victims, a 21-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man, were hospitalized in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon following the early-morning blaze. No updates on their conditions were immediately available Monday.
The blaze erupted at the two-story brick home around 6 a.m. Sunday and spread rapidly. Firefighters, who arrived in a little over four minutes, found heavy fire on the first and second floors, Assistant Chief Kevin Brennan said.
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Two of the child victims were pronounced dead at the scene once the two-alarm blaze was extinguished. The other two died at a hospital.
Witnesses described a gut-wrenching scene as the father of the kids who died tried desperately to save them.
Neighbor Carla Cornielle said she gave the man a hammer. He tried to break down the door. When that didn't work, she said he tried to smash a window.
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"I see this man just panicking, just screaming for his family. He said, 'My kids, my kids are all up there. Help!'" Cornielle said.
She said the flames only grew more intense. Another neighbor said they felt helpless hearing screams from inside as the house went up in flames. Relatives said that the father saved his parents, then tried to save his baby, but they couldn't make it out.
Mayor Eric Adams visited the scene Sunday and told the grieving father the city would help with the burials.
"He lost his children and it's extremely painful," the Democrat said. "The block and the community is going to rally around this family."
It's not yet clear what sparked the blaze, but investigators do not believe it was started intentionally. They have also determined the home had working smoke detectors present inside.
More than 100 firefighters and EMS workers were dispatched to the building. Fire marshals were investigating to determine a cause of the fire.
The adjoining home was damaged as well, but no other injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.
