A fire kills two young children. It happened in a public housing project in the Baychester section of the Bronx early Saturday morning.
Two half brothers have died. The fire department says the call first came in about 2:15 a.m. An apartment on the second floor of 1216 Burke Avenue, part of a 7 story apartment project, was on fire in the 10 building Eastchester Garden Complex in the north Bronx. Thick black smoke streamed out of the building. Teresa Bergamy and William Mullin lost their sons in the fire: 12-year-old William Mullin and 5-year-old Reggie Bergamy. Investigators are still trying to determine what happened, but an aunt said it may have been an electrical fire. She claims the mother said it was chilly last night and brought out an electrical heater and she thinks that may have been the cause. She is the great aunt of the two boys who died. She got the fatal call early Saturday morning.
Sheila Stanley, Victim's Aunt: "I really don't know. It's hard to think of what they went through trying to get out."
Ken Rosato, Eyewitness News: "Tell me a little bit...in life...what the 10 and 5-year-old were like? What kind of kids were they?
Sheila Stanley, Victim's Aunt: "Very fun. The 10-year-old, he was fun. William, he was very funny. Good kid. Good in school...everything -- he was a good kid. The little one, he was -- like a typical 5-year-old running around and having fun."
Residents who live in the units immediately above the burned out apartment have been put into a nearby tenants room, an extra room they use for parties, because officials are conducting their investigation and they also want to determine the structural integrity of the units above the burned out unit.
Witnesses say there was an overwhelming amount of smoke.
At least on other person was taken to a nearby hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation. Officials are still on the scene trying to determine exactly what happened.
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