BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (PIX11) – A mother and her two children were killed in a Brooklyn apartment fire Friday morning, police said.
First responders were called to the building on Gates Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 5 a.m. After firefighters extinguished the fire, EMS pulled 49-year-old Danielle Havens, 11-year-old Journee Miles, and 9-year-old Keslee Miles from the apartment, police said. The NYPD initially said the girls were 8 and 10 years old but later released updated ages.
The victims were rushed to a hospital but could not be saved, per the NYPD. They suffered smoke inhalation and burns to their bodies, officials said.
The girls’ father and other family members showed up in tears outside the apartment building Friday morning. Mayor Eric Adams, who lives in the neighborhood, also went to the scene.
The fire was contained to the third-floor apartment where the family lived, fire officials said. Investigators believe the fire began in the kitchen.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said there was a hard-wired smoke alarm in the apartment, but part of the FDNY’s investigation will be to determine whether it went off.
Other residents were able to evacuate the building and no other injuries were reported. American Red Cross was on the scene assisting tenants.
The FDNY Fire Marshal will determine the cause of the fire. Police said an investigation into the fire remained ongoing.
