Brooklyn dad eulogizes 7 kids lost in fire
Funeral services were held this afternoon in one of New York's deadliest fires. It claimed the lives of seven children Saturday.
The tightknit Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn grieved together as a family, for the family they lost. The children ranged in age from 5 to 16.
The only survivors are the victim's mother and their 15-year-old sister, who are in critical condition after jumping from the 2nd floor window.
Assemblyman Dov Hikind says the father, Gabriel Sassoon, who was away at a religious conference when the fire happened, gave a 20-minute tribute to his children.
Investigators say the deadly fire started when a hot plate left on overnight malfunctioned in the first-floor kitchen. The flames quickly spread to the upstairs bedrooms where the children slept. Neighbor Andrew Rosenblatt says he called 911.
"I was up in the back room upstairs I could hear screaming from a child, 'Mommy, mommy, help me," Rosenblatt said.
The children's mother reportedly stumbled through the smoke to the steps of her cousin's home across the street and tried to scream: "Save my children."
Killed in the fire were Eliane Sassoon, her sisters Rivkah and Sara.. and brothers David, Yeshua, Moshe and Yaakob.
Children who knew the children who died, delivered flowers to a home that is as empty as the hearts of the people who knew the family that used to live here.
The children's bodies are being flown to Israel, where they will be buried.
Investigators say there were no working smoke alarms on the first and second floors. On Sunday, the fire department handed out smoke alarms in the area where the fire happened.