Elderly New York mother and son argue loudly. Minutes later, a massive fire rips through their apartment building

An 86-year-old woman and her 65-year-old son lost their lives Saturday morning after a fire tore through their second-floor apartment in a three-story building on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, New York. The blaze broke out early in the morning, leading to a significant emergency response.

As reported by the NY Post, the incident left two additional Brooklyn residents, both women aged 82 and 40, with serious injuries. These individuals were transported to University Hospital at Downstate, where officials expect them to survive.

Edwin Savaille, an accountant who lives in the building next door and shares a wall with the apartment where the fire started, reported hearing an argument that woke him up. “It was in Spanish, so I couldn’t understand what they were saying,” Savaille, 48, said. “But you heard the loud voices for sure. So it was definitely an argument going on.”

Then it all went sideways

Savaille returned to bed, only to be startled awake 30 minutes later by shouting. He described the scene as he looked out his window. “I heard someone on the block screaming, ‘There’s a fire out here,’” he said. 

“So I looked out my window to my left — big flames coming out. So I got my family out, pets, everyone out.” Savaille also expressed appreciation for the work of the FDNY. He noted that the responders were able to rescue two people who might have otherwise perished in the blaze.

The FDNY confirmed that the fire was under control by 7:38 AM and that the cause remains under investigation by the fire marshal. While the NYPD has not yet publicly identified the victims pending family notification, neighbors described the pair as long-term residents who lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. Locals identified the mother as Maria and her son as Jose.

Neighbors shared that Maria had been bedridden for nearly 20 years, and Jose was her primary caregiver. Jose was known to many as a former tailor and a coach for a local little league baseball team known as the Bonnies. Jonathan Ortiz, who works at a nearby corner store, remembered Jose as a frequent customer who consistently bought food for his mother.

“He would come in every day to buy lunch for him and his mother,” Ortiz said. “He’d buy soups and whatever she could eat. He took care of her.” Ortiz added that the loss is deeply felt in the community. “Everyone in the neighborhood loved them,” he said. “Everybody is devastated. Everybody is sad. The whole neighborhood is down.”

This tragedy marks a difficult time for the family, as historical reports indicate that the mother lost another son in December 1996. That son, who worked as a party promoter and owned a clothing company, was killed in his office on West 38th Street in Manhattan.

An investigation into the cause of this fire is ongoing, and honestly, I hope that this was just a dreadful accident. It would be heartbreaking if it were an attack of some kind or a sign of neglect.