Fatal fire was accidental, police say
Cops: Smoke detector may not have been operational
RENSSELAER, N.Y. » City police said Friday an investigation found it was an accidental fire that took the lives of three people March 11.
On March 11 a fire destroyed a home at 900 Mann Ave. and took the lives of two adults and one child. City police said that the mother of the family died as a result of going back into the burning home trying to rescue other members of her family.
The city Fire Department was called to the scene at about 4:42 a.m. Sunday and found a fully-involved structure fire.
Detective Scott Earing with the Rensselaer Police Department said Safia Alblakhi, 68, Monzalah Alshami, 41, and Aymen Alshami, 8, died as a result of the fire.
The father, who was working at the time, was not home when the fire occurred.
In a Friday afternoon news release, Earing said the initial investigation has determined the cause of the fire is accidental, and possibly electrical in nature.
Earing also said that it is believed that there was at least one smoke detector in the residence, but it may not have been opera-
tional.
Earing said 17-year- old Motasam Alshami was originally taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was released a few days later, while 16-year-old Rafa Alshami was flown to Syracuse. Earing said on Friday that she is still in critical condition with burns on a third of her body.
Earing said that Monzalah Alshami did originally escape the blaze with her 17-year- old son after jumping out of a second- story window, but then the mother decided to go back into the burning home through the front door to try to rescue more of her family.
The blaze was the second tragedy to shake the city last weekend as Brianna L. Beebe, 26, the mother of two children, was found deceased in the Hudson River on March 10, one day after being reported missing. Earing recently announced that there were no signs of foul play.
Earing said a further investigation for the fire is still ongoing.
According to a Facebook post, the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Rensse- laer County are hosting a day-long community fundraiser for the Beebe and Alshami families on Sunday, March 18. From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. there will be a pancake breakfast fundraiser and then from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. there will be a haircuts for hope fundraiser, both at the Southern Rensselaer County Boys and Girls Club, located at 544 Broadway.
A GoFundMe memorial fund has been set up for Brianna Beebe at https:// www. gofundme. com/ brianna-beebe-memorial-fund and one has also been set up to help the Alshami family at https://www.gofundme. com/alshami-house-fire-inrensselaerny