Neighbors are “devastated” by the tragedy that struck a family in Patterson when a fire destroyed their home on Halloween night, resulting in the loss of several lives.
“We tried, we really did,” shared Fatima Ali, who lives next door. “We managed to assist those on the first floor, but the second floor was a different story. It’s hard to accept because these were people we interacted with every day for the past six years.”
The entire family, including three young children aged 14, 12, and 7, lost their lives in the fire. According to Paterson’s Mayor Andre Saye, the father is Palestinian and related to Congressman Al Abdelaziz from New Jersey.
Fire officials reported that the blaze erupted around 10 p.m. and rapidly spread, aided by strong winds.
Ali mentioned that she first became aware of the fire when her children spotted smoke coming from the house. The fire reportedly started under the stairs leading to the second floor, where there had been a pile of wood.
“The kids were playing soccer outside in the cold,” Ali recalled. “Suddenly, my son asked if I could smell something. My daughter then pointed out, ‘That’s smoke, Mom, look over there in the house.'”
In a desperate attempt to help, she ran to the family’s house, banging on the door and shouting, “The whole backyard is on fire.”
Neighbors indicated that multiple families occupied various floors of the home. Ali found the family on the first floor watching TV, completely unaware of the fire. She noted that they had two infants with them.
After Ali alerted them, the mother checked her daughter’s room and discovered it filled with smoke, prompting the family to flee. “She was screaming about the children upstairs,” Ali said.
Ali’s nephew tried to reach the upstairs children but found the stairs completely engulfed in flames. The family in their urgency couldn’t escape through the window due to the fire threatening the outdoor stairs.
“The flames spread so rapidly,” she said. “The wind was really intense; it was detrimental to the situation.”
“These were kids; my kids grew up with them, and it’s frightening,” she added.
Mayor Sayegh expressed the community’s sadness over the family’s loss, stating, “You have three kids who were excited about Halloween and trick-or-treating. It’s tragic that their lives ended this way, alongside their parents, all under the age of 15. This really touches the heart of our community.”
