A 36-year-old woman and a teenager were killed early Tuesday morning in a devastating fire in East New York.
The NYPD Crime Scene Unit and FDNY fire marshals are investigating the incident after an accelerant was found at the scene of the blaze that left four others critically injured, among them three children. Fire officials responded to a call at 136 Fountain Ave. shortly after 2:15 a.m., and arrived on the scene to find heavy fire on the second floor and thick smoke throughout the third floor.
Members conducting searches removed the children three girls ages ten, 14 and 17 and a nine-year-old boy to Brookdale Hospital with severe smoke inhalation.
The mother of the four children was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the 17-year-old was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning at Brookdale Hospital, a spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed.
The inferno took 12 units and 60 members to subdue, according to a Fire Department spokesperson, and it was placed under control at around 3:13 a.m.
Neighbors in the community said the family ran a bodega called Alhaddad Food Corporation down the street from their home.
A next door neighbor told Brooklyn Paper “They were the nicest family, I saw the three girls playing yesterday, this is devastating, there was a heavy fire ball out the second floor when firefighters arrived.”
The fire marshal will determine the cause of the blaze and the investigation remains ongoing.
