An 85-year-old girl was killed Friday morning when a fireplace swept by her Brooklyn house, authorities mentioned.
FDNY firefighters responding to the 8:15 a.m. blaze alongside Bedford Ave. in Crown Heights discovered the lady unresponsive amid heavy muddle in a third-floor unit of the four-story constructing.
An 85-year-old girl was discovered useless after a fireplace in an house constructing on Bedford Ave. in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. The lady was discovered unresponsive in a third-floor unit of the four-story constructing. (Emma Seiwell / New York Each day Information)
A burned-out mattress was among the many particles that was mendacity on the sidewalk in entrance of the constructing.
The sufferer was not instantly recognized, pending household notification.
However a person who mentioned his aunt lived within the constructing mentioned her house appeared to probably the most closely broken.
Hearth additionally broken a fourth-floor unit.
“That’s her bedroom right there,” mentioned Mario Saint-Laurent, pointing to the rounded entrance third-story window.
“She was a very independent lady. She always wanted to stay by herself. There was a helper that used to come, a home health aide. This morning the helper called and told us there was a fire, and they wouldn’t let her in.
An 85-year-old woman was found dead after a fire in an apartment building on Bedford Ave. in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. The woman was found unresponsive in a third-floor unit of the four-story building. (Emma Seiwell / New York Daily News)
He said his aunt’s cell phone was not answering, and the landline was not working.
“I heard it’s too dangerous to get in there, and I can’t identify the body. From what I understand the body is still in there, He said. “Everybody’s calling me because I’m the next of kin, and everybody wants to know what’s going on.”
Saint-Laurent mentioned he sees his aunt about as soon as a month, and was planning to come back see her on Friday.
“It’s shocking because she called me [Thursday] afternoon, asking to bring her favorite dish, fried snapper … and that Haitian soda, Cola Lacaye,” he mentioned. “I said, ‘This is expensive. One small bottle is four dollars and 15 cents.’ She said, ‘Oh it’s not that expensive.’ That was like 4 p.m.”
An 85-year-old Brooklyn girl was discovered useless after a fireplace in an house constructing on Bedford Ave. in Crown Heights, Feb. 21, 2025. (Emma Seiwell / New York Each day Information)
He described his aunt as a proud girl.
“She’s outgoing. She’s independent, she always needs to do things by herself. She’s very loving with the family,” he mentioned.
He mentioned his aunt immigrated to New York Metropolis from Port-au-Prince in her late 20s. She met her husband within the metropolis. Saint-Laurant mentioned his uncle died in 2010.
“Her dream is gone,” he mentioned. “She wanted to go back to Haiti. I’m gonna take her back to Haiti for a nice vacation. That’s what she wanted.”
