A fire broke out Friday night in a six-story building at 64 West 165th Street in the Bronx, killing three young children inside apartment 2C there, according to CNN. Elijah Artis, 5; Jeremiah Artis, 2; and Michael Turner, 4 months, were rushed to Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, where authorities say all three were pronounced dead on arrival. WABC added that the boys’ mother and two sisters were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire is said to have started around 8:00 in the evening and was reported under control somewhere between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation but Valerie Frazier, a neighbor there, told the New York Times that electricity in the apartment had been turned off recently and the family was relying on candles.
Update: The New York Times confirms that the fire was indeed “caused by candles that were apparently being used for light after power to the apartment was cut off because of unpaid bills.” Of the two surviving children, girls aged 4 years old and 4 months, a hospital spokesperson said they were treated for smoke inhalation and listed in stable condition Saturday, while their 25-year-old mother, still unidentified, was treated and released. The Fire Department added that six other people were injured in the fire but did not seek medical attention.
