Funeral for Mother, Four Children Killed in Chelsea Fire

Yesterday, funeral services were held for five people killed in a Chelsea apartment fire. Delkis Balbuena and her three daughters, ages 15 months, 3 years, and 8 years, and her 10-year-old, were mourned by family and friends--who gasped at the sight of the five coffins-- at Saint Elizabeth's Church in Washington Heights. The children's father, Maschay Valdez, was separated from Balbeuna but had been visiting during the fire and was buried over the weekend; his sister told NY1, "My father wanted to pay for the funeral for all of them, but the family from the mother side didn't want them to do it all together." The FDNY found that the apartment's smoke detector had been disabled--please check your smoke detectors monthly.