Memorials held in Queens, Paterson for local family killed in Turkey 7.8 magnitude earthquake
QUEENS (WABC) -- A memorial service was held Saturday for the Queens family tragically killed in the recent Turkey earthquake.
The service took place Saturday afternoon at a mosque in Sunnyside.
Burak Firik, his wife Kimberly, and their two young sons were all killed in one of the subsequent earthquakes that struck hours after the initial one.
The Firiks, from Corona, Queens, were in Turkey for over a month visiting family.
Paterson Mayor André Sayegh will also lead a vigil in New Jersey for the victims. Paterson has a large Turkish population.
Earlier in the week, members of a mosque prayed for the family and the thousands of people killed in the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) confirmed Firik's death. He was a former board member.
"It is with sadness we announce that former CAIR-NY Board Member, Burak Firik, and his wife and two baby children, passed away in the earthquake in Turkey," CAIR-NY said in a statement. "We pray for Allah's mercy for our brother Burak, his family, and all those who have returned to our Creator. Ameen."
At the Mimar Sinan mosque in Sunnyside on Thursday, members prayed for the family.
RELATED | How to help with Turkey earthquake relief effort in Tri-State area
"We did a video call," best friend Dogan Kimilli said. "He said he was ok, his family was ok, he showed me around it was so bad."
Burak Firik sent Kimilli devastating videos of the damage after the first quake, but hours later another quake hit, and Kimilli learned the worst.
The family was on the fifth floor of an apartment building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey when the building collapsed during the earthquake.
"The building collapsed," he said. "Five-story building, they were under the debris for 24-26 hours, when they were found, the whole family was hugging each other."
The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks.
Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.
As for the Firik family, Burak studied at Columbia University. He worked in computer science for IBM and Amazon but left the corporate world to build a real estate investment business.
He was passionate about his community and quietly raised money for the renovation of his mosque.
"He's always contributing, he's the most generous person for this renovation," Turkish Islamic Cultural Center President Ali Kocabas said.
Burak Firik's wife, Kimberly, was Ecuadorian and converted to Islam. They lived near her family in Corona.
"Kimberly was very kind and everyone loved her, she was very helpful to everyone who ever needed help, she was a very lovely person," friend Nurcan Kimilli said.
Burak was a marathon runner who had important goals, and Dogan Kimilli hopes to honor them.
"Inshallah, I will follow his dreams and I will help him to do all his dreams hopefully," he said.
If you would like to help with relief efforts, you can donate through Unicef and a LaunchGood campaign online.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
