Sixty-one-year-old Haji Dukuray, a man who lost five family members in a fire that happened on January 9 in the Bronx Twin Parks apartment building, has thanked rapper Cardi B for her selfless act.
Cardi pledged to pay the funeral expenses for all 17 victims. The victims included five of Dukuray’s family members – his niece Haja Dukureh, 37; her husband Haji Dukary, 49; and their three children, Mustapha Dukureh, 12; Mariam Dukureh, 11; and Fatoumata Dukureh, 5.
“I would say, ‘Cardi B, you are an angel,’” Dukuray told TMZ. “I can’t thank you enough. My family can’t thank you enough for what you have done. I don’t know you. I am sure you’ve never heard of my family. For you to step up and do what you did for us at this time, all I could do is pray to Allah for you. May Allah give you all your wishes and grant you everything in this world.”
He added, “I can’t even imagine. I have five family members that I am planning to bury, and the financial aspect – we all know how expensive that can be, and for me not to worry about the cost at all was just a huge, huge help and a huge relief for my family.”
The fire is believed to have been started by a faulty space heater. According to the Associated Press, it is the deadliest fire in New York City in 30 years.
“I’m extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still,” Cardi said in a statement earlier this week. “So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help.”
Other victims of the fire were: Fatoumata Drammeh, 50; Foutmala Drammeh, 21; Muhammed Drammeh, 12, Nyumaaisha Drammeh, 19; Sera Janneh, 27; Seydou Toure, 12; Haouwa Mahamadou, 5; Omar Jambang, 6; Fatoumata Tunkara, 43; Isatou Jabbie, 31; Hagi Jawara, 47, and Ousmane Konteh, 2.