Three people died, including two children, after a man’s homemade vape cartridges sparked a fire that ripped through a Brooklyn, New York building.
The man accidentally caused the fire while making homemade vape dispensers to sell, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). His wife and two daughters died in the fire. Two other children and a relative were left in critical condition.
The incident occurred at around 2:14 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9. At first, investigators suspected arson after finding an accelerant at the scene. However, they now believe the accelerant was used to make the dispensers, and the fire was likely accidental.
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig explained that the father was making vape products upstairs when the fire broke out. They found many vape products at the scene. Detective Essig said the presence of an accelerant does not necessarily indicate criminal activity.
The father, identified as Mufeed Al Haddad, 37, suffered burns on his hands, but his wife, Amal Al Haddad, 36, and their daughter Rowan, 17, were unable to escape and died at the scene, with the other daughter, ten-year-old Dawlah, dying in the hospital. Al Haddad’s two other children, Rana, 14, and Ismael, 9, and his brother Khaled Al Haddad, 39, are currently in critical condition at Brookdale University Hospital.
The family lived on the upper floors of a three-family home on Fountain Avenue in the East New York neighborhood. Another family on the first floor escaped safely.
Witnesses recounted seeing the father running out of the burning building with his arms on fire before attempting to return and save his family.
FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Chuck Downey spoke about the emotional impact of the incident, saying that seeing an entire family affected in this way was heart-wrenching.
