'Make Sure You Have Smoke Alarms,' Heartbroken Mother Urges Caution After Fatal Fire
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There's still no word on what caused a deadly fire in Queens that claimed five young lives and now family members are searching for answers in the wake of such an enormous loss.
The victims killed in Sunday's fire at the home on 208th Avenue were between the ages of 2 and 20.
They have been identified as 17-year-old Melody Edwards, 20-year-old Destiny Dones, 9-year-old Rashawn Matthews, 16-year-old Jada Foxworth and the youngest, 2-year-old Chayce Lipford.
It's believed the victims were trapped in the attic of the home, which fire officials say had no working smoke detectors.
What makes their loved ones' pain even greater is that Matthews' mom was apparently trying to make changes when the flames ignited.
"She was literally out buying smoke detectors for the house when the house caught fire," family friend Isaac Oswald Stubbs said.
On Tuesday, Dajuana Green -- the mother and grandmother of the victims -- returned to her blackened home holding pink balloons.
"Make sure you have smoke alarms, make sure they're working," she said.
Green insisted she was out buying smoke detectors when the fire started.
"I was going to get brand new ones and bring them back and put them up," she said.
On Tuesday, the FDNY and Red Cross went door to door installing brand new free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the neighborhood of older wooden homes.
Green is holding onto hope that her tragedy may not be in vain.
"I just want everyone to make sure they take care of their kids and make sure all their smoke alarms are working," she told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Firetrucks still haven't left the block since Sunday afternoon, and a memorial continues to grow. There's been a steady stream of visitors lighting candles, leaving balloons, and waiting to learn how the fire began.
"I just lost my baby," Melody's father, Glen Ford Edwards said. "I just lost my last child."
"I was preparing for her prom and her graduation and her acceptance into SUNY Purchase," Melody's mother, Rosetta Edwards, said. "I did not know my child was gonna die in a fire."
Rashawn Matthews' father, 46-year-old Maurice Matthews, was the only one who survived the fire after jumping from the second floor.
Melody Edwards' parents are reeling and like so many, are left with unanswered questions.
"One man jumped through the window, one from the basement and the poor kids are upstairs?" said Glen Ford Edwards. "Nobody to assist them? Nobody? Why?
Jada Foxworth was a member of the cheerleading team at the Young Women's Leadership Academy in Jamaica, Queens. Her squad was featured on CBS2 after earning a bid to compete at the national championship.
Her teammates have been left heartbroken.
"It's just a tragedy," said coach Abi Corbin. "You don't believe that it really happened."
Firefighters have remained at the scene since the fire on Sunday.
