Soundview residents are trying to close down a group home that was set ablaze 10 days ago as police investigate their suspicions that one of four girls who lived in the house set the fire.
Killed in the blaze were Shirley Etienne, 15, Sophia Abraham, 13, and Itisha Alexander, 15. Five other residents of the group home were away for the Easter weekend.
A week after the fire, a lone white candle stood in front of the house.
Police have not made any arrests but they are "investigating the possibility" that the fire was set by one of the girls who died or the one who survived, said Dorman Tamari, a police spokesman.
"Homeowners have had it with this place," said Herbert Rivera, who has lived across the street from the home for 20 years. "We've decided to get a petition together to close the house down."
Residents on the block, which comprises mostly owner-occupied homes, complained of excessive noise, frequent fights and unsafe conditions.
"The police were constantly on the block," said Rivera. "Sometimes they came as often as two or three times a day."
Elias Chico, 11, who lives next door to Rivera, said he often talked to the girls in the home.
The Underhill Group Home was run by St. Cabrini Home of West Park, NY. Jim Lavelle, St. Cabrini's executive director, did not respond to phone calls from The Bronx Beat.
"One of them told me they used to set fires all the time," said Elias. "They set fires in a bucket. Once they told me they knocked it over by accident, but they put it out."