December 17, 2004 -- Two Queens siblings hightailed it out of the country yesterday as neighbors blamed them for accidentally starting a fire that killed a mom and horribly burned her husband and three kids.
Kenny, 16, and Marcia Sumba, 25, stuffed their belongings into two livery cabs and drove to Kennedy Airport en route to their native Ecuador, neighbors said after a confrontation with the pair.
"They had packages, suitcases, everything they owned," said Cynthia Lopez, 22, of 37-52 89th St. in Jackson Heights, where the fire hit on Wednesday.
"They just picked up and left," said Lopez. "One guy got on top of them and was cursing them out, saying, 'Because of you, people died! You can't just wash your hands.' "
Fire officials said the Sumbas admitted leaving at least one candle unattended, setting off a blaze that killed Flor Pineda, 36, a Salvadoran immigrant.
Pineda's husband, Alex Sandoval, and their three daughters remained in critical condition with burns.
Relatives said Alex was in critical condition with burns over 70 percent of his body.
Alexandra, 4, and Naomi, 7, had burns over 35 percent of their bodies and Carolina, 3, had burns on 50 percent of her body.
"All their little faces are disfigured," said their aunt, Reina Gomez.
"They're unconscious, but when they wake up I don't know what I'm going to tell them."
If they pull through, Gomez said, the dad and at least one of the girls are likely to lose their sight.
Fire officials said the Sumbas went to sleep leaving a burning candle on a radiator, and the flame ignited curtains. The Sumbas fled without warning anyone.
"If you start a fire and you don't knock on people's doors, you just quietly leave - that's like hit and run," Lopez told the Post.
The Sumbas said they were innocent - then disappeared, Lopez said.
"They said they didn't even have a candle, that they didn't start it," she said. "I told them they had to tell police the truth."
The building's superintendent, who did not want to be identified, said "I'm damn sure they're not coming back."
He said the Sumbas' mother - who had earlier flown to Ecuador - practiced the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria and may have unwittingly contributed to the tragedy.
"She was into voodoo - you know, the candles and the pictures," he told The Post.
Officials said emergency exits were locked at the time of the fire.
