BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Family and neighbors are mourning the loss of a 21-year-old nursing student who was killed in a house fire on Empire Street in Buffalo.
Buffalo firefighters responded to the fire at 31 Empire Street around 6:40 a.m. on Wednesday. The fire started on the second floor of the home and crews faced heavy smoke and fire conditions upon arrival.
21-year-old Samira Mohamed has been identified by her father as the person who was found dead on the second floor by the Buffalo Fire Department. She was a senior at the Buffalo State University who leaves behind a loving family.
Understandably, the father was too grief-stricken to speak. He was one of the four other family members that made it out safely.
7 News reporter Yoselin Person spoke to the landlord of the home and neighbors about Samira.
“That girl is like my daughter’s age. She always communicates with me. I feel really really down,” says Muhammad Lasker, landlord. “It’s a very bad situation. I feel very bad about this.”
7 News was told that Samira and her family came from Eritrea, East Africa.
Lasker says he hopes the family receives the help they need as now they’re left with nothing.
“She’s the responsible person for the family. I hope they can recover,” he says. “And I wish the city and you guys can help them out they’re not very solvent people.”
Fire Commissioner William Renaldo says Damage at 31 Empire Street is estimated at $150,000 and about $20,000 in exposure damage occurred at 33 Empire Street.
The American Red Cross is now helping Mohamed's family. The organization says it responds to 60,00 disasters a year across the country. The vast majority, we're told, are house fires like the one on Empire Street.
But the Red Cross also works to protect your family before the disaster. Their advice for families is to test their smoke detectors often, replace the batteries at least twice a year, and replace the detector after 10 years. If you need help, the Red Cross offers assistance through its Sound The Alarm program.
