‘Angels on earth’: 4 victims of Las Vegas house fire mourned at funeral
Flanked by the four coffins of his father, uncle and little sisters who died in a house fire two weeks earlier, Alijah Adem spoke about the immense loss his family had experienced, but predicted they would persevere.
“If any family’s going to get through this, it’s the Adem family,” he told the crowd of hundreds at Thursday’s funeral service for Abdul, 43, Ibrahim, 48, Anaya, 7, and Aaliyah Adem, 6, at Henderson’s Central Church.
Outside, four white Cadillac hearses sat, ready to take the caskets to Palm Eastern Mortuary &Cemetery.
The four were killed in an Oct. 24 early morning blaze at their home at 8332 Langhorne Creek Street in southwest Las Vegas. Authorities had not yet released a cause of the fire, and at an Oct. 30 news conference, Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck said an investigation into the blaze could take three months to a year.
Senait Adem, who was Abdul Adem’s wife and the mother of Anaya and Aaliyah, jumped from a third-story window with their son Amani Adem, 5, saving their lives. Alijah Adem, who is Abdul Adem’s older son, was at college when the fire occurred.
Superhero dad
Everyone has a superhero they look up to when they’re young, Alijah Adem said at the service. For him, that figure was his father.
“My whole life, you were just trying to get me to understand how to win in this world and how important family truly is,” he said of his dad, who was a longtime youth basketball coach.
He also spoke fondly of his uncle and little sisters and said they now live through him. “You were angels on earth,” he said. “Now, you’re angels in heaven.”
Anaya was the kind of little sister who would wake him up and wanted to spend time with him and his friends.
“It was a privilege being your big brother,” he said.
Aaliyah was strong and “destined for something great,” he said.
Awet Adem, brother of Abdul and Ibrahim Adem, said when he woke up Thursday, he didn’t feel like coming to the funeral.
“But I have so many people depending on me that I have to be here,” he said.
‘They were his world’
He described Abdul Adem as a great father and a backbone of the family. He said Anaya loved wearing princess dresses and remembered Aaliyah as “the tough one in the family.” No one could talk or play with toys until she had finished doing those things, he said.
Ibrahim Adem was quiet and supportive, Awet Adem said previously. He lived with his brother’s family and was devoted to his brother’s children.
“They were his world,” Awet Adem has said of his brother’s relationship with Anaya and Aaliyah, adding, “I’m not surprised he died with them.”
Awet Adem got emotional talking about his brother Abdul Adem. They talked constantly, he said, adding, “Without him, I wouldn’t be the man I am.”
“Don’t cry, don’t feel sad for him,” Awet Adem said. “Just celebrate his life, please.”
The family’s burial service, held at Palm Eastern Mortuary &Cemetery, on South Eastern Avenue north of Robindale Road, brought out hundreds. By 1:40 p.m., the parking lot was so full that staff began instructing attendees to park alongside fire lanes.
On the grounds, mourners exchanged embraces over the caskets, which were decorated with red, white and yellow flowers. Women in the crowd wore white cloth scarves over their heads and shoulders, sometimes using the fabric to wipe away tears.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X. Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.