A somber ceremony has held at the Islamic Cultural Center in
Morrisania for 15 of the 17 victims of the Bronx apartment fire last weekend.
The Twin Parks fire victims were from West Africa –
including eight children. About 1,000 people arrived at the cultural center to
pay their respects.
More than a dozen hearses lined the streets as 15 coffins
draped in black cloth were rolled into the mosque. Some just a few feet long,
as the youngest victim was just 2 years old.
Two families lost several family members in the blaze.
"At this moment in time, the families are in so much
grief, they need our support for their own emotional health,” said Lamin
Jabang.
Elected leaders spoke at the ceremony, including Mayor Eric
Adams, state Attorney General Letitia James and Rep. Ritchie Torres.
"Those we lost belong to god, and today they return to
god," said the mayor.
“Individuals who are responsible for the neglect of that
building and for so many fires in the Bronx must be held accountable,” said AG
James.
Authorities said the fire was sparked by a
faulty space
heater in a third-floor apartment. It was exacerbated by self-closing doors
that didn’t close.
Most of the victims were brought to a cemetery in Neptune,
New Jersey. Four of the bodies will be flown back to their homeland of Gambia.