3-alarm NYC apartment fire claims elderly couple

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

By Emma Seiwell, Thomas Tracy and Leonard Greene
New York Daily News

NEW YORK — A bedridden grandmother and her caring husband, who had promised never to leave her, were killed Tuesday in a massive fire that gutted their home early in the morning. Washington Heights apartment building, authorities said.

Anguished neighbors and relatives said Maria Tavares, 75, and Luciano Tavares, 74, who perished in the intense fire inside their apartment on the top floor of a six-story building on 178th Street W Street, near the George Washington Bridge, were a resilient and devoted couple. grandparents who relied on faith and courage to face every challenge, including declining health during their golden years.

“They were incredibly loved and happy people,” said Jerika Abreu, 26, the victims’ granddaughter. “They were loved by their community. They were very happy until the end. Whatever the circumstances, they always found a way to get through it. They were the most resilient people I knew. »

A neighbor named Ricardo said he hoped they could survive another challenge.

“He always said they were going to die together,” Ricardo said of Luciano.

It took more than 130 firefighters around two hours to put out the huge fire. FDNY Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of the fire.

“Upon arrival, four and a half minutes later, we saw heavy fire coming from three windows on the top floor,” FDNY Deputy Chief of Special Operations Malcolm Moore said at the scene. “We conducted an aggressive attack inside and found a couple, an older man and woman, inside the apartment.”

Maria Tavares was found suffering from burns and smoke inhalation in the main room, Moore said.

“Once units overcame the heavy fire, we found the second victim, believed to be a male, in a back bedroom,” the chief said.

The couple was taken to Harlem Hospital, where they both died, officials said.

“They were such a nice couple,” Ricardo said. “She was sick. I don't think she could walk. The husband took care of her all the time.

“She was bedridden,” said a woman named Elianna, whose mother was Maria’s home health aide. Maria had suffered a stroke in 2016.

“He would say that if anything happened, he would never leave her,” Elianna said. “They have been married for a long time. They really loved each other.

But her husband had his own health problems, those close to him said.

“My grandfather was not in perfect health,” Abreu said. “He’s older. But I mean, it's just tragic.

Abreu said his grandparents met in the Dominican Republic, arrived in New York in the 1970s and lived in the Washington Heights apartment building for more than 20 years.

“My grandfather worked in a factory. He was there for at least 30 years,” she said. “My grandmother, she was a stay-at-home mother. She kept him at home. She raised two sons. She did her best to provide. They were both very hardworking people.

She said they were always full of life.

“My grandfather was a huge baseball fan,” Abreu said. “He was a huge Yankees fan. My grandmother loved karaoke. When she was able-bodied, she was a social butterfly. They were simply the best people I knew. They simply gave love so willingly to those around them and to me.