Somali community mourns death of infant in NY fire

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say the 6-month-old baby who died in an apartment fire last weekend was the daughter of parents who emigrated from Africa.

The Observer-Dispatch of Utica reports (http://bit.ly/1lRvbtG ) that Marian Omar was buried Monday in the cemetery owned by the Bosnian Islamic Association of Utica.

Fire officials say the girl died Sunday when a blaze broke out late Sunday morning at her family’s second-floor apartment in Utica. Her parents and four siblings escaped the flames.

The girl’s parents are from Somalia. Relatives and members of Somali-Bantu communities from as far away as St. Louis drove to Utica to attend the funeral and help the family through the ordeal.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.