NEW YORK, NY – A deadly house fire, believed to be a result of arson, occurred in Brooklyn on Friday night, according to NYPD. The tragic incident claimed the life of a 70-year-old man, Vetus Roberts, leaving his close-knit family in mourning.
The fire swept through a Monroe Street residence in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Roberts, a carpenter by profession and a cherished family member, was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughters, who live in Florida and Saint Vincent, conveyed their grief to the media, praising their father as a hard worker who loved his family and expressing the devastation of losing him in such a violent manner.
A woman known as Jennifer, identified as Robert’s girlfriend for the past 20 years, also resided at the property and was rushed to hospital due to smoke inhalation. She is currently in stable condition.
In the wake of the devastating fire, local authorities have taken an individual into custody for questioning. Meanwhile, members of the community and those living in the apartment building are left shaken, struggling to process the event that turned an ordinary Memorial Day weekend into a heart-wrenching catastrophe.
Justin Coward, a lifelong resident of the building, described smelling smoke while in his third-floor apartment shortly before 11:30 p.m. His actions in response to the smoke led to the safe evacuation of the building’s approximately ten households. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Roberts could not be saved.
As the community mourns and authorities continue their investigation, residents of the apartment building remain committed to looking after one another.