2 Killed, 5 Injured In East Flatbush House Fire
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A fire claimed the lives of two people and injured five others early Saturday morning in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
Firefighters were called to the scene on East 49th Street near Church Avenue when the fire broke out around 5:30 a.m.
Officials told CBS2's Ilana Gold that all of the victims who were in the home are family members.
"It's unfortunate to see that happen to people who don't cause trouble and they're real good people," said one neighbor.
Fire officials said two adults were trapped upstairs and when firefighters got into the home, the bodies were discovered inside separate bedrooms. Authorities identified those two victims as 76-year-old Lord Kinard and 71-year-old Octavia Kinard.
Two other adults and a teenager were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Gold reported.
Authorities said 49-year-old Carrie Kinard suffered smoke inhalation and 19-year-old Lord O' Justin Kinard suffered burns.
Police said 40-year-old Louis Edwards was trying to help the fire department when he fell and injured his leg. He also suffered from smoke inhalation.
Two firefighters also sustained injuries while fighting the blaze, 1010 WINS' Darius Radzius reported.
Witnesses said before firefighters arrived, they saw the teen standing in a second-floor window screaming for help. They told him to jump, so he did, Gold reported.
"I open my window and I hear the young boy saying 'help me.' I'm saying 'baby please just jump,' I told him to jump out of the window," said one neighbor.
Neighbors said a good Samaritan also rescued one of the victims from a second-floor window using a ladder. Witnesses said he tried to rescue another victim, but the flames and smoke were too intense.
"The lady she came on top of the roof and the guy came up with a ladder. He took her down," said witness Sharon Hinds. "And the little boy, he jumped through the window and came out burnt. He was walking (in pain). He said 'oh I'm hurting so much.'"
Fire officials said they believe the cause of the blaze was a failed power strip in the first-floor dining room. They said the smoke detectors in the home were not working.
