A fire that swept through a Bronx apartment killing three young brothers was caused by a candle and occurred one day after the power company cut off electricity for unpaid bills , officials said Saturday . A neighbor said she was in her apartment in the building on West 165th Street -- half a mile from Yankee Stadium -- when she heard the boys ' mother , Tashika Turner , screaming `` Fire ! '' `` She was yelling out the window , '' Cynthia Woods told CNN affiliate NY1 . `` She saw me and said , 'Fire ! ' So I ran upstairs to the apartment and I kicked the door open . `` I tried to go in and get the kids , because I could hear the kids hollering . But the fire was like real heavy , so I fell , and I could n't get into the house to save the kids ... And I could n't get them . I could n't get the kids out . I heard them crying , and they were burning . I could n't get them . I could n't get them out . I tried . '' Woods said she kicked the door so hard she fell back . When she finally forced it open , `` the fire came out -- and all I could hear is them hollering . And I tried to go in , but I could n't go in . There was so much smoke and fire . It was a big flame . The whole front , the kitchen , everything was on fire . '' It took about 100 firefighters about 90 minutes to bring the two-alarm fire under control by 9:30 p.m. Friday in the six-story building , officials said . By then , it was too late . The boys -- Elijah Artis , 5 ; Jeremiah Artis , 2 ; and Michael Turner , 4 months -- were declared dead on arrival at Lincoln Medical Center , police said . Hospital spokeswoman Nydia Negron said two children -- sisters ages 4 and 4 months -- were in stable condition in the intensive care unit ; the mother was treated and released . Their mother -- whom Negron identified as Tashika Turner -- survived , too . Fire marshals have determined the fire was accidentally `` caused by a candle in the kitchen , '' FDNY spokesman Daniel Glover said . Con Ed spokesman Allan Drury explained that the apartment 's residents owed `` a significant amount ... -- well into the thousands of dollars . '' `` We try to avoid turning service off to customers , '' Drury added . `` We 'll put them on payment plans to work with them to avoid turnoff , but this account had substantial arrears . '' The fire occurred 180 feet from 1022 Woodycrest Avenue , a four-story building that caught fire in March 2007 when a space heater cord overheated , killing 10 people , nine of them children . At the time , Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it the worst fire in New York City since the Happy Land social club -- also in the Bronx -- went up in flames in 1990 , killing 87 people . Mom , 4 kids dead in Brooklyn stabbing .
`` I could n't get them out , '' says neighbor -- ` but they're not going to be able to do anything about it. The brothers were ages 5 , 2 and 4 months .