Hot plate likely behind fire that killed 7 children in Brooklyn

The fire that killed seven siblings in their Midwood, Brooklyn, home on Saturday was most likely caused by a malfunctioning hot plate that was left on in their kitchen.

Hot plates are often kept on to heat food during the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, as ultra-Orthodox Jewish people are prohibited from using fire or doing any type of work, including turning on appliances, during the holy day, The Associated Press reports. The fire that broke out spread to the upstairs of the home, trapping the children in their room, investigators said.

The children — Eliane, 16; David, 12; Rivkah, 11; Yeshua, 10; Moshe, 8; Sara, 6; and Yaakob, 5 — will be buried in Israel, where they lived before the family moved to Brooklyn about 18 months ago. Their mother, Gayle, and 14-year-old sister Siporah are in critical condition and on respirators in an area hospital. The children's father, who was away in Manhattan for an education retreat when the fire broke out, said at their funeral on Sunday they were "so pure" and "angels." "My children were unbelievable," Gabriel Sassoon said. "They were the best."

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