The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

Family, neighbors, teachers, school friends and work colleagues gathered on Wednesday evening, Jan. 10, for a touching memorial tribute to mark the one-week anniversary of the tragic death of five-year-old Kashmir Marquis, following a basement fire in Wakefield.

 

Carrying colorful balloons, many blue and white and a few red, the gathering of about 160 people withstood the cold evening which followed the Jan. 9th rainstorm, as images and home movies of Kashmir were projected onto the façade of his Barnes Avenue home to soft accompanying music.

 

A shrine of sorts, adorned with toys, candles, and a tribute poster of Kashmir had been erected in front of the family’s home where people were seen lighting more candles, embracing Kashmir’s mom and other relatives, and reflecting on the loss of the little boy who had just turned 5 on Dec. 19, 2023.

 

Local mom Nicole told us her daughter, Nikyah, also 5, had been friends with Kashmir and had been in the same class at nearby P.S. 21 Philip H. Sheridan. Her daughter was seen taking in the crowd, the shrine, and holding a helium balloon. Nicole said the two were born about 10 days apart.

 

Asked if Nikyah understood what had happened, Nicole said she did not. Asked if she was ok, she said, “She’s not ok.” She added, “The teacher called me, I think it was a Friday morning and told me there was a house fire here on Barnes Avenue.”

 

Referring to Kashmir, Nicole said she had known him for about four months, adding, “She [Nikyah] was very close to him. I’d see him when I’d pick her up at school every day. I would see him walking past us. I would walk over here like every day. I’m right across the street and I would look at Kashmir’s house, and I will miss that.” Nicole added, in part, “The mother would always take him to school and bring him back home every day. I would see his mother every day.”

 

We also spoke to Kashmir’s art teacher who said, “His P.S. 21 family is here. It’s right around the corner.” Asked if Kashmir had just started school last September, she said “yes.” She went on to describe Kashmir, saying, “Sweet kid. Loved to learn. Loved him.” Asked if he had an artistic flair, his teacher said, “Yeah, he loved to draw. It was his way.” She paused before saying, “He was very unique in how he drew and decorated his artwork.” In a whisper, she then concluded her thoughts, overcome with emotion and unable to continue.

 

One of the assistant teachers at Kashmir’s school described the little boy as a “nice, pleasant kid.” Later, we spoke with the little boy’s mom, Keyion Gonzalez-Marquis, who, at times appeared incredibly stoic and at others, distraught, her cries piercing every heart. She explained how the only reason she was able to talk about Kashmir was because she was still in a daze, adding that she was still expecting him to come back to her.

 

“He was my reason, my purpose,” she said, adding that Kashmir was her only child. “I waited for my son. I did everything I wanted to do before I had him, because I thought all I wanted to be was someone’s mother and when I found out I was having a boy, that just made it all the more special.”

 

Asked about the thought process behind choosing Kashmir’s name, Gonzalez-Marquis said, “My mom and my sister actually named him. They wanted to name him Cash, and then I wanted it to be with some significance, so I looked up a prince in India and that’s how I spelt it that way.”

Asked if Kashmir had been enjoying school, his mom said, “Kashmir loved school. Sonic [the Hedgehog] this year, surprisingly. He loved Mickey Mouse for about four years.” She then added, “I’m still waiting for my son to wake up and tell me, ‘Mommy, I’m okay. Mommy, I love you. Mommy, I’m fine.’ Something… ask me for something so I’m gonna do something, so I’m gonna do anything, because anything he wanted, I did for my son.”

 

We asked if she had some favorite memories of her son. She said, “My son loved to sing. I really thought he was gonna be either a producer…someone to make music. He was very energetic. Kashmir loved to dance. He was the life of everything. You could not not love my son. He was a good dancer, a good singer. His voice was great.”

 

She continued, “My son barely cried. My son was a happy baby. My son knew no pain.” Asked if he made friends easily, Gonzalez-Marquis said, “Kashmir, you would want to adopt him! Before he even… his smile attracted you to him. Everything about that kid was just…. if you didn’t like me, you loved my son! How could you not? My sweet baby. I’m still waiting to wake up.”

 

When we mentioned that other residents talked about how they recognized him on the block, she said he was the neighborhood baby. Asked if she was getting any counseling to help with her grief, she said, “Right now, I’m just here day by day, minute by minute, second by second but again, I see all my coworkers. Everybody’s here. [I’m] still wondering why but I appreciate it and I love it. I love all the support that I’m getting.”

 

She continued, “I have my UPS family, my immediate family, my friends, associates, friends, our friends, the neighborhood. This is my neighborhood. I’ve lived here all my life. This is our house, my elementary school, everything.”

 

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 identified Kashmir as a fatal victim of the incident.

 

Police said 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 later spoke to Kashmir’s aunt. Asked if there was anything she wanted people to know about the incident, she 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.” Asked if she was now displaced, she said she was.

A GoFundMe page was 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.”

 

The fire was one of several across the north Bronx in recent weeks. On Dec. 13, 2023, a 5-alarm fire ripped through several small businesses in Kingsbridge, resulting in one minor injury. Later, a three-alarm fire on Dec. 18, 2023, gutted a Kingsbridge Heights deli, caused by lithium-ion batteries, FDNY officials said.

A Christmas Day residential fire in Kingsbridge resulted in no injuries, while a fire that broke out on Dec. 26, 2023, at 3060 Hull Avenue in Norwood resulted in one minor injury. Four fires broke out across Kingsbridge Heights and Bedford Park within a 12-hour period, starting Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.

 

As reported, the commercial fire which destroyed several commercial businesses on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood on Oct. 10, 2023, was the result of arson, according to the NYPD.

 

Back in Wakefield, prayers were said for Kashmir and his family before, at 6.06 p.m., the crowd released the balloons they were holding (some with printed messages and some in the shape of a 5 to mark Kashmir’s age). When we asked his mom if there was anything else she wanted to say, she said, “I just want to tell everyone, ‘Hold your son or hold your kids a little tighter tonight’.” Referring to her son and home life, she said, “This is my everything; everything in me was for my son.”

 

Click here to view a short video of the balloon release.

Visit https://www.fdnysmart.org/ for fire safety recommendations.

 

Those wishing to donate can visit www.gofundme.org and search for “Kashmir Marquis.”

 

Visit www.norwoodnews.org for more details about the other referenced fires.