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by LUIS PEREZ AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA
A 5-year-old Bronx boy and his 12-year-old brother were killed when they were trapped in their home by a fire early Saturday, authorities said.
The boys' mother and grandfather jumped out of bed when the family's smoke alarm went off just past 2:15 a.m. in their Burke Avenue apartment, in a building that is part of the Eastchester Gardens housing project.
Cheryl Bergamy grabbed her son, Reginal, 5, who had earlier in the evening left his lower bunk bed to sleep with her. Together, the three made a beeline toward the bedroom where William, 12, was sleeping on the top bunk, fire officials believe.
But the thick smoke prevented the adults from reaching William, fire officials said.
In the ensuing panic, the adults fled the apartment, but somehow Reginal got left behind, fire officials believe. When his mother realized what had happened she tried to get back into the apartment but couldn't.
"'My kids! My kids! I can't get my kids out of the room!,'" the mother screamed, according to a next-door neighbor who asked to remain nameless.
The 12-year-old, William, perished at the scene, and Reginal died a short time later at Jacobi Medical Center.
The grandfather's name could not be determined Saturday.
Fire officials late Saturday said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Marshals suspect the fire started because of an overloaded extension cord or because the boys were playing with matches.
Several residents said that since the Housing Authority upgraded the electrical wiring in the houses two years ago, a number of fires have occurred because of faulty wiring.
Housing Department spokeswoman Sheila Greene said no fires at Eastchester Gardens have been connected to the wiring. The Fire Department said it could not immediately determine from its records if there have been recent electrical fires at the houses.
As residents gathered while firefighters put out the fire, some seemed surprised and upset that the couple would flee without the children, but others said the fire — quick-moving flames and thick, acrid smoke — made it impossible to rescue the brothers.
"Everybody was saying, 'Where's the kids?' then the said 'They're upstairs,'" said a 19-year-old who lives in the building. "Nobody could do nothing. If you tried to go in there you'd be crazy."
"I tried to go up to the second floor," the teen added. "I couldn't make it. You couldn't breathe."
When firefighters arrived they tried in vain to save the younger boy with CPR, witnesses said.
"The fire was contained to the rear bedrooms and hallway, but the apartment itself had heavy smoke and fire damages," said Battalion Chief Keith Cartica. "It was just a tragedy."
The mother, meanwhile, also was taken to Jacobi. She was treated and released, but then rushed back to Jacobi, where doctors had to sedate her because she was wailing uncontrollably after learning her sons had died.
Fire officials said 60 firefighters helped bring the fire under control by 3:12 a.m. Seven firefighters were treated for minor injuries at Jacobi.
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