XBASE24: Faulty power strip, lack of smoke detectors led to...

XBASE24: Faulty power strip, lack of smoke detectors led to...: This is the room where Octavia Kinard was found dead from the fire. The charred remains of the home where an elderly couple died in...

Faulty power strip, lack of smoke detectors led to death of elderly couple in East Flatbush fire

This is the room where Octavia Kinard was found dead from the fire.

The charred remains of the home where an elderly couple died in an East Flatbush fire left no reminder of the duo inside.

The two-story brick home was completely scorched by a fast moving blaze that officials said was triggered by a power strip at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

On Sunday, neighbors remembered the elderly couple as giving people who kept to themselves.

"She would always give me money," said Freddy Semple, 34, referring to 71-year-old neighbor Octavia Kinard. "She was always looking out for me."

Kinard and her husband, Lord Kinard, 76, died inside their second floor bedroom, officials said.

Kinard took care of her husband, who struggled to move due to an unknown ailment, Semple recalled.

"They're quiet people," Semple said.

During the fire, Semple and another Good Samaritan tried to rescue the couple with the help of a ladder. They were able to save a woman on the roof but were unable to yank the couple through a window.

FDNY officials said the fire was started by a faulty power strip on the first floor. There were no operational smoke alarms inside the home, authorities said.

Meanwhile, officials held a fire alarm giveaway near the scene to prevent similar tragedies.

"We do not want the holiday seasons of lights to be replaced with the lights of emergency vehicles responding to a fire," said Brooklyn Borough Preside Eric Adams, who arranged the event.

The majority of fire deaths are due to inoperable smoke alarms and faulty wiring, he said.

"This is a wakeup call for all of us," the Brooklyn pol added. "No one wants to lose a family member around any time of the year."

Electrician Joel Fischer warned people not to rely on extension cords.

"It's cheaper to call in an electrician to come install a new outlet...than to lose a life," he said.

For the holiday, he recommended people buy LED Christmas lights that use less power and give off less heat. Those lights should be plugged directly into the wall unplugged when no one is home, he added.

"That is the best quick fix," Adams agreed.

The borough beep urged the city's Department of Consumer Affairs to check stores to make sure no unsafe extension cords are being sold.

After the press conference the crowd of roughly 50 people surged forward to get free smoke detectors. But there weren't enough for everyone.

Adams said his office will do more alarm giveaways in the coming weeks both downtown and in East Flatbush.

Patsy Rochard, 65, who saw the fire, said she plans to use the alarm as added coverage for the one already installed in her home.

She remembered the Kinards fondly.

"They usually decorate the house so nice for Christmas," Rochard said.

Psy plays old man, little boy in bizarre ‘Daddy’ music video

Psy is hoping to go viral again — this time with the help of his “daddy.”

The South Korean singer, who became an international sensation with the 2012 hit “Gangnam Style,” dropped the music video “Daddy” on Monday.

Just like “Gangnam Style,” the video showcases Psy performing some odd but energetic dance moves, but this time just not as himself, but also as a little boy and old man.“I get it from my daddy,” Psy sings in the single’s chorus, with his various selves occasionally uniting to show off their moves.

“Daddy” is one of the first singles off of Psy’s latest album “Chiljip PSY-Da,” which means "This Is PSY's Seventh Album" in Korean.

“Chiljip PSY-Da” is his first album since breaking big with “Gangnam Style” three years ago. The video earned over a whopping 2 billion views on YouTube, making it the most viewed YouTube video of all time.

At a press conference in Seoul on Monday, Psy said that the monumental success of “Gangnam Style” affected him when recording the follow-up to 2012’s “PSY 6.”

There were many thoughts going around in my head, including thoughts like, 'If I write like this, it would be not as good as ‘Gangnam Style,' and 'If I write like this, the international audience will not understand,'” he said.

“So it took me a very long time to organize all those thoughts into one.”

It remains to be seen if “Daddy” will be Psy’s next “Gangnam Style,” but the video has already racked up over 450,000 views to date.

ROME, N.Y. -- A man has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the shooting death of a 7-month-old baby in upstate New York on Saturday, 

According to Rome police, Henry W. Bartle, 18, has been arrested for the fatal shooting. Police said Bartle and his girlfriend -- the mother of the child -- live in at the home where the baby was found.

Bartle was allegedly in the living room cleaning his 12-gauge shotgun on his lap and the muzzle pointed in the direction of the child before it went off. He loaded the weapon, installed an accessory grip and went to stand up. That is when the gun allegedly went off and a bullet hit the infant, who was found dead at the scene, according to police.

Another man was also in the home at the time.

"We are comfortable and confident and clear in stating that there is no indication that this was intentional at all," Rome Police Capt. Tim Bates told CNY Central Sunday.

The child has not been identified by police, pending notification of family and extended family.

Bartle is being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility.