Two young sisters who received serious burns from a radiator at a shelter in Hunts Point Wednesday later died, officials say. 

 

Scylee Vayoh Ambrose and Ibanez Ambrose, 1 and 2 years old, were rushed to Lincoln Hospital from the homeless shelter at 720 Hunts Point Ave. around 12 p.m. with burns on their faces and bodies, officials say.

News 12 is told that a valve on the radiator malfunctioned, allowing steam to spew out and burn the girls. The city Department of Buildings issued the shelter a gas connection violation last month. The shelter also has had more than two dozen other violations issued.

Neighbors say they heard a loud boom and the parents screaming. The girls lived with their family in one of the building's five units used as shelters by the Department of Homeless Services. Officials say they will immediately relocate the other four families living in shelter units at the building.

A friend of the Ambroses says the family often complained of issues in the shelter that went unfixed.

Mourners have set up a memorial outside with candles and balloons.