BROOKLYN — A funeral and memorial for the grandmother who died while trying to escape a burning Williamsburg building will be held this weekend and on Monday, the family told DNAinfo New York.
Services for Patricia Serrano, 68, will be held at the Ortiz Funeral Home at 201 Havemeyer St. Saturday and Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m.
Then a memorial, which is open to the public, will be held at the First Spanish Presbyterian Church at 157 S. Third St. on Monday morning.
Serrano initially tried to alert neighbors at 232 Metropolitan Ave. about the fire Monday night until her grandson told her to get out of the building.
The grandmother got to the fire escape, but started having seizures and then went into cardiac arrest.
The FDNY said the blaze started because of a faulty electrical outlet.
Firefighters had visited the building Saturday because of the faulty outlet and told the super to fix it, according to fire officials. When the outlet started sparking again the next day, the FDNY came to shut the power off. The super said he called an electrician who never showed up, and that he didn't touch the outlet.
Investigators believe the fire started when someone tried to again fix the faulty outlet, sources told DNAinfo.
Serrano’s grandson, Eric Nieves, 22, said he and the family want answers about why the electrical problem was not properly addressed.
"She was a loving, caring, funny person. She raised me. She fed me," Nieves said after the fire.
