Syracuse, N.Y. — When Fuje Alam Bin Abdul Rahman entered his basement on a Tuesday afternoon last June, a sparking wire caught his eye. He also heard a hissing noise near some old, unused appliances.
He’d gone down into the basement looking for children. His five kids and four others, part of a visiting family, had spent the day celebrating one of Islam’s holiest holidays. Alam thought he heard some of them playing down there.
As he stepped closer, a spark jumped from the wire and hit his shirt, igniting it. Fire engulfed his body…