Tributes held at Morrisania deli partly run by family decimated by Sunday's Bronx house fire
NEW YORK -- Candles and balloons are now part of a growing memorial outside King Deli in the Bronx, where the community is coming together to remember a family devastated by fire.
Patrons say one of the victims in Sunday's house fire helped run the business in the Morrisania neighborhood. CBS2's Tim McNicholas has more on how that community is rallying around the family.
"I'm devastated. I grew up with them," one person said.
It is more than just a deli to the people in the neighborhood. They lit candles, signed messages of love, and even wept. To them, it's an institution.
"This is family to us," customer Sarah Febres said.
"It literally didn't feel like a store when you walked in there. If you know who they was and they knew who you was, you really was a family," customer John Morales added.
READ MORE: Authorities identify 4 family members, including 3 children, killed in Bronx fire
But there are not enough candles in the Bronx to represent all the fond memories New Yorkers have of 22-year-old Ahmed Saleh, who helped run King Deli.
"Sounds like he didn't just make your sandwich, he made your day sometimes," McNicholas said.
"Yes, all the time. Always makin' the sandwich. 'Hey ma, whatchu want? You always putting a smile on my face.' I'm always putting a smile on his face," customer Elizabeth Harrigan said.
The neighborhood was devastated to learn the Sunday morning fire in Castle Hill killed not just Ahmed, but also his 10-month old baby daughter and his two younger brothers, ages 10 and 12.
Morales said 12-year-old Mohammed often greeted him at the store, eager to help however he could.
"We all wanted to see him in the future own this, own every other store," Morales said.
Customers decorated the store with balloons. Some kids even stopped during their trick-or-treating route to mourn the victims. It was a touching tribute, and if you ask around near 169th and 3rd Avenue, "They just were really good people," customer Angela Bell said.
It's for a family that deserves nothing less.
"If I didn't have enough change, because I didn't have change, he would give me the coffee," Bell said.
"My little son used to take breakfast every morning and I didn't have to pay until the end of the month," Febres said.
For the time being, the store will remain closed as this family mourns their horrific loss. The FDNY says it is still investigating the cause of that fire.