A 5-year-old boy has died following a basement fire in the Wakefield section of The Bronx.

 

FDNY officials said they received a call at 5.20 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, for a report of a fire in the basement of a private dwelling located at 4011 Barnes Avenue, between East 227th Street and East 226 Street.

 

An FDNY spokesperson said 12 units, comprising 60 firefighters, responded to the blaze and that four civilians were injured, one in critical condition and three with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

 

All were transported to area hospitals according to the FDNY and no further update on the victims’ condition or description was provided. FDNY officials said the fire was brought under control at 6.12 p.m. and fire marshals are investigating the cause.

 

Police later confirmed that one of the victims, a 5-year-old boy, died following the blaze. They said the deceased has been identified as Kashmir Marquis, 5, of 4011 Barnes Avenue, Bronx, NY.

 

Police said that officers had also responded to a 911 call regarding the fire. They said Kashmir had been transported by EMS to New York Health and Hospitals/Jacobi where he was pronounced deceased. They described two of the other victims as an 83-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman, who were also transported by EMS to New York Health and Hospitals/Jacobi in stable condition for smoke inhalation.

 

Norwood News spoke to an aunt of the victim. Asked if there was anything she wanted people to know about the incident, the woman said, “”I tried to save them.”

 

Asked if she knew how the fire started, she said, “No.” We asked if she, herself, lived in the building and she replied, “Yes.” We also asked if she was now displaced and she said she was.

 

A GoFundMe page has been launched by Camile Santiago in the wake of the tragedy. “Help us support our friend and loved one Keyion and her family through this unfortunate time,” the accompanying message read. “This fundraiser is to help a friend and their family in need during a difficult time in their life. The funds will help with the funeral costs and repairs for their home.” Click here to donate.

 

As reported, a three-alarm fire on Dec. 18 which gutted a Kingsbridge Heights deli was caused by lithium-ion batteries, FDNY officials said.

 

A Christmas Day residential fire in Kingsbridge resulted in no injuries. Meanwhile, as reported, a fire that broke out on Dec. 26 at 3060 Hull Avenue in Norwood resulted in one minor injury.

 

Earlier this month, on Dec. 13, as reported, a five-alarm fire ripped through several small businesses in Kingsbridge, resulting in one minor injury.

Meanwhile, four fires broke out across Kingsbridge Heights and Bedford Park within a 12-hour period, starting Friday, Dec. 29, as reported.

 

As also reported, the commercial fire which destroyed several commercial businesses on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood on Oct. 10 was the result of arson, according to the NYPD.

 

Visit www.FDNYSmart.org for fire safety recommendations.