A father and four children are dead after a fire Wednesday night near 35th and Northern avenues.
Steve Boyer, the children’s uncle, landed here in the Valley and rushed here to Phoenix Children’s ICU when he heard what happened.
LATEST: Four children, father dead after Phoenix condo fire Wednesday
He told ABC15 the two oldest kids,11-year-old Tamar and 9-year-old Shevach, are still in critical condition.
“He put everything into those kids, everything he could do,” said Boyer.
He described his brother, 52-year-old Shimone, as a dedicated father and Rabbi.
For the last six years, the two have been raising the four kids all under 12.
“I’ve got the clothes on my back, and whatever I had in my luggage at the time,” said Boyer.
But he said, right now, that doesn’t matter or compare to his family.
Boyer had just left town on Tuesday.
“If I was there, could I have done something?” questioned Boyer. “Could have smelled it, maybe?”
Boyer is left with lots of what-ifs.
“I almost fell over, I couldn’t wrap my brain around it,” said Boyer.
He rushed back to the Valley on Friday, as the two oldest continue to fight for their lives.
“They are on life support, and the prognosis is not hopeful,” said Boyer.
All four children, according to Boyer, had developmental disabilities, but it's unclear if that played any role in their inability to escape the fire.
As of Friday, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The kid’s uncle, in these tough moments, is holding on to his faith.
“I just hope and pray that they wake up and survive because I can’t imagine all of them gone,” said Boyer. “ I can’t.”
Fire officials tell ABC15 they don’t believe there were smoke detectors in the home.
Boyer told ABC15 they tried to make sure the home was safe for the kids, but the lack of smoke detectors “flew under the radar."
He’s now hoping this tragic fire will help save someone else’s life.
“If there’s anything that can be taken out of this that is good, check your smoke detectors,” said Boyer.
Steve has posted a GoFundMe to help his family, as they deal with this tragedy.
He told ABC15 he’s already blown away by the support they’ve gotten.
