Fire officials say lit menorah sparked fatal Hanukkah blaze

NEW YORK – A fire that roared through a Brooklyn home on the sixth night of Hanukkah, killing a mother and her three young children, was touched off by the family's menorah, fire officials said.

The fire department late Monday released a statement saying fire marshals determined the blaze to be accidental, caused by an "unattended lit menorah."

Neighbors said the family kept the menorah in a living room window throughout the eight-day holiday, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights.

"So often, tragedy strikes at this time of year, and the holidays make it that much more difficult because our communities should be celebrating, not mourning," fire department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.