{"id":462124,"date":"2025-12-21T11:56:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T11:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/462124\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T11:56:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T11:56:01","slug":"fires-have-claimed-the-lives-of-more-than-a-dozen-elderly-nyc-residents-over-the-last-6-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/462124\/","title":{"rendered":"Fires have claimed the lives of more than a dozen elderly NYC residents over the last 6 weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirteen elderly New Yorkers<\/a> have died following fires this winter over a deadly six-week span in a continuing trend FDNY officials<\/a> called, \u201cvery, very concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spike in fire deaths among the city\u2019s senior citizens included a 95-year-old Queens grandmother who died along with her great granddaughter, an 89-year-old Bronx man who had just beaten cancer and a 90-year-old sharecropper\u2019s daughter from Georgia who dedicated her life to teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s percentage is higher than we\u2019ve experienced in the past,\u201d FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Dan Flynn told the News.<\/p>\n

Of the 59 fire fatalities across the city this year so far, Flynn said 37, or 64 percent, were 65 years or older. Last year at this time, the city had seen 73 fire fatalities, and only 32 of those people were 65 years or older.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a very, very concerning statistic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Flynn added that the 20% jump in elderly fire deaths this year is especially worrisome, given only about 13% of the city\u2019s population is 65 or older.<\/p>\n

Though he couldn\u2019t point to any particular reasons for this year\u2019s spike, Flynn explained that elderly New Yorkers are generally more vulnerable to fires.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these people have been in their apartments for a very long time, and their appliances and their electrical components in their apartment have probably degraded over the course of time. That\u2019s definitely one issue that we see,\u201d Flynn said, adding that the city\u2019s most common fire cause is electrical.<\/p>\n

Other factors that put the elderly at risk include being more prone to using space heaters and less likely to be able to maintain equipment in their homes, including smoke detectors, Flynn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not as able-bodied, so they\u2019re not as capable of fleeing as somebody younger, maybe as mobile,\u201d said Flynn. \u201cAnd if they do sustain some type of injury from these fires, their chances of recovery may be less than somebody who\u2019s in better health that is younger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because many elderly people live alone, they also have worse odds of detecting the fire early on and being able to escape, the chief said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the statistics, the fires have taken a tremendous human toll.<\/p>\n

Two victims had survived cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alice Johnson, a 90-year-old woman who outlived her lung cancer prognosis more than a dozen years ago, died in a fast-moving fire<\/a> that broke in a residential building where she lived on E. 168th St. near Boston Road<\/a> in East Tremont about 9 p.m. on Nov. 18, officials said.<\/p>\n

\"AliceAlice Johnson, 90, was killed in a fire at her E. 168th St. home in the Bronx Tuesday night. (Courtesy of Richard Johnson)<\/p>\n

Johnson, a sharecropper\u2019s daughter from Georgia, moved to New York City when she was 17, dedicated her life to teaching and once ran for a state Assembly seat, her son, Richard Johnson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing raised by my mother was absolutely magical,\u201d said the grieving son. \u201cMy mother was my first teacher. I can credit any success I have in life to her. She also was a mother to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s story almost ended sooner, in 2012, when she was given just six months to live after being diagnosed with lung cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was a godly woman and a prayerful woman, and she was here for 13 more years,\u201d the son said. \u201cIt\u2019s the miracle that so many people pray for, but it happened for my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire marshals determined the fire was sparked by electrical wiring.<\/p>\n

Robert Germain, 89, had just beaten cancer when he died in a fire<\/a> that raged through his second-floor apartment on 194th St. near Hollis Court Blvd.<\/a> in Auburndale around 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 13, officials and neighbors said.<\/p>\n

After battling through \u201choarder conditions,\u201d firefighters found Germain laying lifeless in a bedroom, officials said.<\/p>\n

He died at the scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very friendly and known throughout the neighborhood, never a bad word. Never got into any dispute. He would say hello and offer help anyway he can,\u201d Germain\u2019s neighbor, Manuel Ceja, told the News, 73, recalled. \u201cHe was very mobile, he was riding his bike up until his mid 80s.\u201d<\/p>\n

The senior lived alone and had no children.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point when he was younger he did engraving. He had a workshop,\u201d Ceja added.<\/p>\n

Fire marshals determined an extension cord sparked the blaze, officials said.<\/p>\n

Burning candles<\/p>\n

Dominican immigrant, Carmen Angeles, 86, died after a fire erupted in her sixth-floor apartment on 12th St. near 41st Ave.<\/a> at NYCHA\u2019s Queensbridge South Houses just after 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 15, officials said.<\/p>\n

\"CarmenCarmen Angeles with her son. (Courtesy of Maribel Cabrera)<\/p>\n

EMS rushed her to Mount Sinai Queens<\/a>, where she died a short time later. Fire marshals determined that the fire was sparked by a burning candle.<\/p>\n

Maribel Cabrera said she befriended Angeles 24 years ago when they lived next door to each other in Queens. Though she moved to Connecticut over a decade ago, Cabrera would still travel to the city once a week to see Angeles, who had no relatives left in the states.<\/p>\n

Angeles was born in the Domincan Republic and immigrated to Queens in the 70s, Cabrera said. She worked as a cleaner at a hotel in New Jersey, until she was injured on the job and became disabled.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was very friendly. She loved and cared for everybody. She loved music. Any kind of music. She loved to do anything to be around people,\u201d said Cabrera.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m devastated,\u201d the friend said solemnly.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 17, a 70-year-old woman died from her injuries after a fire spread in her 14th floor apartment on Crescent St.<\/a> near 33rd Rd. in Astoria.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a lovely person. I\u2019ve known her my entire life,\u201d said one neighbor who grew up in the building. \u201cOne of those people that was very, very high spirited and always had something positive to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

The victim, whose name has not been released yet, was a mother of two, said the neighbor.<\/p>\n

Fire marshals determined the fire was also caused by a burning candle, officials said.<\/p>\n

Family devastated<\/p>\n

On Nov. 23, 95-year-old Joyce Buncom died in a blaze<\/a> that ripped through the house where she lived with her daughter on 202nd St. near 113th Ave.<\/a> in St. Albans about 7:50 a.m., FDNY officials said.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/p>\n

Theodore Parisienne \/ New York Daily News; Courtesy of family<\/p>\n

Joyce Buncom, 95 (inset, left) was killed and her 6-year-old great-granddaughter Aylani Burgos (inset, left) was critically injured in a fire at the family’s home in St. Albans, Queens on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

Buncom\u2019s 6-year-old great-granddaughter<\/a>, Aylani Burgos, also died, succumbing to injuries she sustained in the blaze. Burgos, who lived in South Hempstead with her mother, Janai Grant, was staying with her great-grandmother for the night when the fire started in the cellar, and quickly spread to the second floor, trapping them.<\/p>\n

Buncom\u2019s daughter, 68-year-old Paula Buncom-Grant, who lived at the house, was also taken to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital<\/a> in critical condition. An online fundraiser<\/a> created for the family stated Buncom-Grant remained in the hospital fighting for her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t her time to go,\u201d Grant said of Buncom. \u201cI will remember her always having that glass of wine with ice and spinning it around with her fingers and being the life of the party and dancing. That\u2019s what I\u2019m going to remember the most about my grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in 1930, Buncom stood only 4-foot-11 and worked as a former correction officer and gym teacher. She and her husband moved to St. Albans in the 1960s. An avid traveler who loved bingo, crocheting and dancing, she was a devoted member of her local St. Pascal Baylon Church for over 60 years. She continued going to Mass every Sunday and remained active in church life well into her 90s, Grant said.<\/p>\n

Fire marshals had yet to determine the cause of the Nov. 23 fire, FDNY officials said.<\/p>\n

Searing heat and smoke<\/p>\n

On Dec. 18, 80-year-old Elba Nydia Lopez died<\/a> after a fire erupted inside her first-floor apartment on 80th St. near 37th Ave.<\/a> in Jackson Heights about 5:10 a.m., FDNY officials and her niece said.<\/p>\n

Firefighters found Lopez dead in the apartment as the fire was put out.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a nice, nice woman,\u201d said upstairs neighbor Harold Puente, who scrambled out of his second-floor apartment to escape the searing heat and thick smoke coming from the elderly woman\u2019s apartment. \u201cI have known her for a long time living there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Puente, 55, has lived in the building for three decades. Lopez had lived there longer, he said.<\/p>\n

Fire marshals were still working to determine the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n

Homebound, trapped by flames<\/p>\n

Rebecca Ellington, 74, died<\/a> after a stovetop fire burned out of control and swept through her fifth-floor apartment E. 81st St. apartment near 1st Ave.<\/a> in the Upper East Side on Nov. 12, according to officials and her family.<\/p>\n

\"RebeccaRebecca Ellington, 74, died in a fire that ripped through her Upper East Side apartment at First Ave. and East 81st St. on Nov. 12, 2025. (Obtained by Daily News)<\/p>\n

The septuagenarian had lived in the walk-up apartment for over 20 years, but had recently \u201cgotten bad with her legs,\u201d according to her younger sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe started becoming more and more homebound,\u201d the sister, who did not want to be named said. \u201cIt\u2019s very heartbreaking. It was quite a shock, especially the circumstances around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a lovely person. She made people laugh a lot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The super at Ellington\u2019s Yorkville building said she used to paint and hang birdhouses on their block and was very active up until she had an operation several months ago.<\/p>\n

\"FDNYFDNY Fire Investigators inspecting a fatal fire that occurred on the top floor of a five story residential building at 409 East 81st St. in Manhattan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (Shawn Inglima\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

She also beautified the street by planting flowers, he added.<\/p>\n

Ellington\u2019s step-sister, who had lost touch with her after both their parents died over a decade ago, was shocked to hear she had died.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought she was great,\u201d the 59-year-old step-sister, who lives in North Carolina, said in a phone interview. \u201cShe was just mature, and funny, and she didn\u2019t suffer fools if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

A warm-hearted mother<\/p>\n

Catherine Same Mahouve, 75, died from smoke inhalation<\/a> after a fire broke out inside her seventh-floor apartment on Main St. near River Rd.<\/a> on Roosevelt Island about 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 15, according to her daughter and officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard about the fire hours later, I was coming home from work and I heard there was a fire on the 7th floor where I was living,\u201d Justine Mahouve said. \u201cI thought my mother was safe. I was calling her almost 30 times, she would usually answer after two or three calls but she wasn\u2019t answering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahouve was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Fire marshals determined the fire was sparked by electrical wiring.<\/p>\n

\"CatherineCatherine Mahouve, 75, died from smoke inhalation after a fire broke out inside her seventh-floor apartment on Main St. near River Rd. on Roosevelt Island about 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was a very kind and warm hearted person, I really miss her because she was a very good cook,\u201d the daughter said.<\/p>\n

Mahouve was retired and formerly worked as the first female Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Cameroon to the United Nations, according to an online fundraiser<\/a> created for the family. She enjoyed going to the local library, spending time with her friends in the neighborhood and cooking.<\/p>\n

Keeping older residents safe<\/p>\n

In a PSA posted on social media in November<\/a>, Flynn urged residents to formulate escape plans with their elderly relatives, friends and neighbors in case of fires.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a clear, simple and practiced escape plan can make all the difference in getting out safely,\u201d Flynn said, recommending families visit FDNYSmart.org<\/a> for a list of winter weather fire safety tips.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, New Yorkers should have working smoke detectors and cleared pathways to exits and fire escapes, the chief said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would encourage every family member, if you have a grandmother, grandfather, or your parents are elderly, go to their house and see what may hurt them in some way,\u201d said Flynn. \u201cMake sure that electrical practices are responsible, that they\u2019re not overloading the outlets, they\u2019re not keeping their space heaters too close to the bed that may cause a fire. Check in on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the holidays approaching, everyone\u2019s getting together, now\u2019s the time to have these conversations,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

If a fire does break out, Flynn said to put a closed door between yourself and the flames, and to immediately call 911.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t call the super. Don\u2019t call your son,\u201d he said. \u201cOur response times are about four minutes from when you make that call. So we\u2019ll be there very, very quickly. Before your son will get there even.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd let us figure it out. Don\u2019t try to put it out on your own. That\u2019s what we do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

With Thomas Tracy, Colin Mixson, Rebecca White and Kerry Burke<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thirteen elderly New Yorkers have died following fires this winter over a deadly six-week span in a continuing…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":462125,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,8471,1121,2451,3059,5295,1370,728,5249,405,403,5294,50,5226,5225,5228,5227,5293,4413,5321,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-462124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-bronx","10":"tag-brooklyn","11":"tag-city","12":"tag-county","13":"tag-crime-and-public-safety","14":"tag-latest-headlines","15":"tag-local-news","16":"tag-manhattan","17":"tag-new-york","18":"tag-new-york-city","19":"tag-new-york-county","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-newyork","22":"tag-newyorkcity","23":"tag-ny","24":"tag-nyc","25":"tag-nyc-crime","26":"tag-queens","27":"tag-sub-county-region","28":"tag-united-states","29":"tag-united-states-of-america","30":"tag-unitedstates","31":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","32":"tag-us","33":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}