Officials: 1 dead, 5 injured in Brooklyn building fire
NEW YORK -- An apartment fire in Brooklyn on Sunday morning left a 13-year-old boy dead and five other people injured.
CBS2 learned more than 100 firefighters were called to the scene in East Flatbush.
In the rain, and in the nearly freezing temperatures, restoration crews worked to clear out the ash from the apartment fire.
Personal belongings burned beyond recognition were put inside thick black garbage bags. Many of the items can be replaced, but what can't be brought back is the life of Dillon Waldren-Dickson, who died as a result of the fire.
"It's really sad to see this happen to him. When I saw him on the stretcher, I felt like it was my child," tenant Rocklyn Peters said.
Peters is not just a neighbor, she's also close to the family.
"I don't know what to say to his mom, because we're friends. How can I comfort her? What can I say to her to make everything better?" Peters said.
Firefighters got a handle of the fire in a little over an hour, officials said. Three firefighters were injured during the response, while two other tenants were rushed to the hospital -- a 50-year-old woman and 21-year-old man, who are both expected to survive.
"My heart hurts, My heart's so bad, but something needs to happen," said tenant Jason Thornton.
Thornton said he heard about the fire from his security system.
"I haven't had a chance to enter the building and deal with it, but I can already sense that it's different forever, and it's sad that that is the truth. It really is," Thornton said.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Thornton said building management needs to do more moving forward.
"That poor mother and that poor person is never coming back and I want to make sure his life is valued," Thornton said.
The 13-year-old victim certainly made an impact on the community. With tears in their eyes, many tenants who knew him told CBS2 how nice he was. They remembered his smile and even his artwork, which one woman said his mom would show off proudly.