Customers devastated after house fire kills four relatives who ran beloved Bronx bodega

The family-run bodega welcomed all in their Bronx neighborhood like they were relatives.

Devastated local residents gathered Tuesday to mourn the loss of a young father, his infant daughter and his two young siblings killed in a raging apartment fire two days earlier, offering fond recollections of the neighborhood store where the doomed dad worked alongside his own parent.

“They made it feel like home,” recalled Shaniqua Twin, a longtime shopper at Kings Deli on Third Ave. near E. 169th St. in Morrisania. “They even gave the crackheads love.”

The blaze broke out in the family’s home in Castle Hill at around 6 a.m. Sunday, with giant flames soon shooting out of every window.

Other local residents banged on the shuttered store’s front gate in despair after the deaths of Ahmed Saleh, 22, his 10-month-old daughter and his kid brothers aged 10 and 12, mourning the tragedy suffered by a family that always kept an eye out for neighbors.

Saleh’s wife was left in critical condition after leaping from the burning home on on Quimby Ave. near Castle Hill Ave.

Ahmed worked at King Deli alongside his father Waleed, with the bodega becoming an integral part of the local fabric.

“They was a lovely family,” said store regular Dominique Williams. “Very family-oriented. They watched out for your children very well. This is the store for the children. Everybody came here. It’s a family store. It’s really bad.”

Neighbors recalled the generous Saleh clan often cutting some financial slack for residents who were low on money.

“Didn’t have diapers, food, anything — they hook me up,” said Dorian Alecia, 35. “Kids used to come here every single day. They know all the customers really well. It doesn’t feel right. Cried a little bit yesterday.”

Local resident Sarah Febres recalled how the bodega, closed since the fire, routinely offered her credit to feed her child.

“My little son used to take breakfast every morning, and I didn’t have to pay until the end of the month,” Febres said.

Locals said the store opened more than 10 years ago and ran 24 hours a day until the COVID pandemic spurred a cutback in hours. The family business was staffed by various relatives, with Ahmed starting work as a youngster to help his dad build the operation.

“He was cool, really cool,” recalled Twin. “Didn’t speak any English. [They] worked their a—es off. Their business was doing good. I’m heartbroken.”

The customers offered their recollections as the Saleh family gathered Tuesday afternoon for a Brooklyn funeral remembering the four victims.

“They were always working up here,” said Alicea, who lived across the street for more than a decade. “Take turns, about six or seven of them. Very calm, very humble.”

Amir Abozaid of the Yemeni American Merchant Association said the tragedy devastated members across the community. The family had moved to the Bronx from the city of Ibb in their homeland of Yemen.

“Everyone’s shocked,” Abozaid said. “It’s a very sad moment for everyone. Personally, I haven’t slept for three days.”