NY 1

Flames broke out just after 6:30 a.m. in a sixth floor apartment at the Robert Fulton Houses on 18th Street and Ninth Avenue.

A fourth child, a 10-year-old boy, was taken to Jacobi Hospital and was said to be still clinging to life Saturday evening.

The boy's parents, 40-year-old Maschay Joa Valdez and 34-year-old Delkis Balbuena, were killed, along with his three sisters, eight-year-old Nanny Joa Balbuena, three-year-old Bet-el Joa Balbuena and 15-month-old Ruth Joa Balbuena.

The fire department said the victims all died of smoke inhalation after the fire started in the kitchen and spread to the living room.

"Firefighters from the first division were able to get past the fire, get into the rear bedrooms where they located three victims and three additional victims were in the bathroom," said FDNY Deputy Chief James Daly.

The boy also suffered smoke inhalation and remained in critical condition on Saturday.

"Even with the resuscitation efforts, only something like a hyperbaric center can help us revive that patient in the long term, so his prognosis does remain very critical at this time," said FDNY Deputy Chief Ross Terranova.

"All I saw was the black soot coming from under the door," said neighbor Kathy Creer, who lives one floor below the apartment where the fire started.

Creer tried to help, but found the apartment door was locked, trapping the family.

"I banged on the door, I didn't get a response, and then I ran and opened the door for the firemen and then they brought them out," said Creer. "And they tried to resuscitate the mother on my floor, and the little girl. It was just sad, it's just sad."

Firefighters say there was a hard-wired smoke detector in the apartment that was unplugged, and the battery that served as backup had been removed.

New York City Housing Authority officials said the detector was working when it last checked it in April.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.