Horrific Fire

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
3
36
London, Ontario
Hot plate believed to be cause of Brooklyn house fire that killed 7 kids




Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press
Published Saturday, March 21, 2015 7:26AM EDT
Last Updated Saturday, March 21, 2015 6:00PM EDT
NEW YORK -- Seven siblings from an Orthodox Jewish family were killed early Saturday when a fire tore through their Brooklyn home after they had gone to bed, a tragedy that authorities believe was caused by a malfunctioning hot plate left on for the Sabbath.
The blaze took the lives of three girls and four boys -- ages 5 to 16 -- and left their mother and another child in critical condition. Fire officials said the flames would have prevented the mother, who escaped out a window, from trying to rescue her children.
"This is an unbelievable tragedy," Mayor Bill de Blasio said after touring the charred residence. "Every New Yorker is feeling this pain right now."


Fire investigators believe a hot plate left on a kitchen counter ignited the flames that raced up the stairs, trapping the children in their second-floor rear bedrooms, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Many religious Jews do not use electricity on the Sabbath, along with refraining from work and observing other prohibitions meant to keep the day holy. As a result, some families may leave them on so they are usable without violating any religious laws or traditions.
Nigro called it the city's worst fatal fire in recent memory.
"It's a tragedy for this family, it's a tragedy for this community, it's a tragedy for the city," he said.
Police officials identified the victims as members of the Sassoon family. Three of the children were girls: Eliane, 16, Rivkah, 11 and Sara, 6. Four were boys: David, 12, Yeshua, 10, Moshe, 8 and Yaakob, 5.
Nigro said authorities believe the father was away at a conference at the time of the fire. Neither his name nor those of the survivors were released.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight while the children were asleep in five bedrooms in the rear of the home in Midwood, a tree-lined section of Brooklyn known for its low crime and close-knit Orthodox Jewish population.
Karen Rosenblatt, who lives nearby, said she called 911 after being awoken by her husband Andrew when he saw flames and smoke bellowing from the home. The husband said also he heard "what seemed like a young girl scream, 'Help me! Help me!"'
Firefighters arrived less than four minutes after the 911 call to find the mother, badly burned and distraught, outside and pleading for help. When they broke in the door, firefighters encountered a hopeless situation -- a raging fire that had already spread through the kitchen, dining room, common hall, stairway leading upstairs and the rear bedrooms.
"Unfortunately, the outcome may have been determined before they arrived," Nigro said.
After making their way through intense smoke and heat, firefighters found the young victims motionless in three of the four bedrooms in the home, officials said.
"It's difficult to find one child in a room during a search," Nigro said. "To find a houseful of seven children that can't be revived ..."
Karen Rosenblatt described hearing windows breaking before seeing firefighters throwing mattresses out of a back window.
Fire investigators found a smoke detector in the basement of the home. But none were found elsewhere in the house, Nigro said, adding, "To hear a smoke detector two floors below is asking a lot."
By Saturday afternoon, the fire department had set up a table on the corner of the block and distributed pamphlets reminding residents they should have smoke detectors.
Many other neighbours who spoke to reporters declined to give their names, but expressed sorrow over the loss.
The last residential blaze with a similar death toll happened in 2007, when eight children and an adult were killed in a fire in a 100-year-old building in the Bronx where several African immigrant families lived. Fire officials said an overheated space heater cord sparked that blaze.


Hot plate believed to be cause of Brooklyn house fire that killed 7 kids | CTV News


One smoke detector.....in the basement. When are people going to learn?? Such a senseless and preventable loss.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
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such a tragedy

what a horrible thing for everyone to deal with

it's weird to use a hot plate because you can't use electricity....I don't quite get how that works to be Sabbath acceptable
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
3
36
London, Ontario
such a tragedy

what a horrible thing for everyone to deal with

it's weird to use a hot plate because you can't use electricity....I don't quite get how that works to be Sabbath acceptable

I think the thing is they leave it on all night so they can use it in the morning, electricity off, and it'll still be hot. That's my guess anyway. But it's a really stupid thing to do if you don't at least have working smoke detectors on each floor. Not that I think leaving an appliance on all night is ever a smart thing to do anyway.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
33
48
I think the thing is they leave it on all night so they can use it in the morning, electricity off, and it'll still be hot. That's my guess anyway. But it's a really stupid thing to do if you don't at least have working smoke detectors on each floor. Not that I think leaving an appliance on all night is ever a smart thing to do anyway.
hm, okay that could be
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,748
11,088
113
Low Earth Orbit
You can't crank the knobs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. It's considered operating equipment so if left on you don't operate the equipment.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
33
48
You can't crank the knobs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. It's considered operating equipment so if left on you don't operate the equipment.
omg is that how it works...

what a terrible price to pay for this family
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
33
48
Poor mom will never forgive herself.
that's what I was thinking, she will never recover from this, each day will be torturous

and what a horrific way to die

fast, but horrific