After Power Is Cut, Candle Starts Fire That Kills 3 Boys

That three young brothers were killed last night during a house fire in the Bronx is tragedy enough. But then comes this detail from authorities: The power company had shut off electricity only a few days before, and the boys' 25-year-old mother started using candles around the house, reports the CBS New York. One left in the kitchen started the blaze in the second-floor apartment that killed brothers Elijah Artis, 5, Jeremiah Artis, 2, and Michael Turner, 4 months.

The mother and her two other children, a 4-year-old girl and her 4-month-old sister, escaped and are recovering, reports AP. While officials called the fire accidental, they say the absence of smoke alarms made it worse. Con Ed, meanwhile, confirms that it had shut off power to the unit because bills hadn't been paid. “It’s terrible. It’s just terrible,” a neighbor says of the fire. “I’m sick in here. I feel sick to think about it.” (More fire stories.)