Fatal NY Passover fire Caused By 'Prolonged' Stove Flame

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Fire Department has concluded that an apartment blaze that killed three boys over the Passover holiday was caused by ''prolonged heat'' from a gas stove flame and that aluminum foil covering the cabinets and counters served to fuel the fire.

''According to eyewitness accounts, the contents of the kitchen, including countertops and cabinets, were covered in aluminum foil.

''Due to prolonged exposure to heat emanating from the stove, the aluminum foil acted as a conductor, transferring the heat to these items and ultimately, setting them ablaze,'' the Fire Department said, concluding its investigation of Monday's fire at Bedford Gardens, a sprawling 600-unit complex in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Brothers Shyia Matyas, 15, and Yidel Matyas, 13, and their nephew, Shlomi Falkowitz, 7, perished in the second-floor fire. The parents of the two older boys and their two sisters escaped with minor injuries.

Department spokesman firefighter Paul Iannizzotto said Thursday that its investigation also concluded that one stove burner was left in the ''on'' position from sundown Friday until early Monday, when firefighters arrived on the scene.

Fire marshals declared the fire accidental.

Some Jewish people observe a strict religious custom in observance of the Sabbath, Passover and other holy days that forbids certain activities, including turning on lights or stoves. Sometimes non-Jewish people are asked to help with those tasks.

Fire marshals interviewed a non-Jewish home health aide who works across the hallway. She told them an occupant of apartment ''2N'' had asked her on Sunday evening to turn one burner off and leave one on.

Community leaders had asserted that all the stove burners had been turned off and suggested a stove malfunction could have caused the fire.

In addition, investigators found a dead battery in the apartment's smoke detector.

Responding to community criticism about its response time, the Fire Department said it received the call at 5:52 a.m. Monday. Twenty firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes and 50 seconds, it said, and by 6:01 a.m., the first victim was removed, a second one minute later, and a third victim at 6:08 a.m.

The department also countered criticism that firefighters wasted precious time because they were unfamiliar with the layout of the building complex.

''Fire Department members responding to this fire were given building information commonly known as CIDS (Critical Information Dispatch System),'' which provides information on the entryway, design and other features, it said.

''The responding fire companies knew they had to access Ross Street via Williamsburg Street,'' which led into the building's courtyard, it said. There, they found a lock on the courtyard gate, ''which they promptly cut, incurring no significant delay in response.''

The department added that firefighters were very familiar with the layout of the building complex because they had responded to more than 50 calls there from Jan. 1, 2005, to April 22, 2005, and three times to 104 Ross St. since the start of the year.