A longtime youth baseball coach and his mother were killed in a fire that tore through their East Flatbush apartment building Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
The FDNY says the fire broke out on the second floor of an apartment building near Nostrand Avenue and Cortelyou Road shortly before 7 a.m.<\/p>\n
Sixty-five-year-old Jose Castro and his 86-year-old mother, Maria, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other residents were injured in the fire.<\/p>\n
Flowers, candles and baseball memorabilia formed outside the building as a growing memorial for Castro, who spent 41 years coaching with the Bonnie Youth Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was loved,\u201d said Kevin Rice, president of the Bonnies. \u201cHe coached thousands of players. He was just so involved and passionate about what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friends say Castro\u2019s impact stretched far beyond the baseball field.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who cared about the future of his players, whether they were successful in baseball or successful as adults,\u201d Rice said. \u201cHe just wanted to make sure they accomplished their goals and dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sudden death has shaken the Bonnies community, where Castro was known not only as a coach, but as a mentor and father figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotional. Struggling,\u201d said Matthew Pearson, a friend of Castro\u2019s and former Bonnies coach. \u201cYou know him and the way he loved his mother. It\u2019s tragic. It\u2019s just so sad that to take someone with that kind of energy, that kind of enthusiasm for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors who lived near Castro and his mother said the pair had been part of the block for more than four decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was like family,\u201d one neighbor said. <\/p>\n
Friends say Castro often made sure children could participate in programs even if their families could not afford the costs.<\/p>\n
A cause of the fire was still unknown as of Monday night.<\/p>\n