One child dead, one hurt in Bronx fire
Police are still investigating after a suspicious fire in the Fleetwood-Concourse Village section of the Bronx left a 7-year-old girl dead and her 3-year-old sister in critical condition.
Hazel Martinez was killed in the fire that broke out early Sunday morning in the family’s fourth floor home at 977 Grant Ave. Her sister remains in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Investigators found a five-gallon gasoline container at the scene and a natural gas line had been “compromised,” the New York Post reported.
Detectives have not called the fire a homicide. The gas container may have been left from Hurricane Sandy and the gas line may have been tampered with as a way to save money, sources told the Post.
The investigation is ongoing.
Metro’s original story is below.
According to NYPD reports, two children were found at the scene of a fatal fire in the South Bronx early Sunday morning.
Police and firefighters responded to a fire at 977 Grant Avenue, near Yankee Stadium, at 3:10 a.m.
After firefighters succeeded in putting out the fire, police found a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old girl unconscious and unresponsive.
The 7-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at Lincoln Hospital. The 3-year-old remains in critical condition, police report.
The NYC fire marshal is still determining the cause of the fire.
Police are holding off on releasing the identities of the girls until any family is properly notified.
Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat
