Brooklyn Blaze Kills Mom

Heroic neighbors and firefighters rescued five Brooklyn kids from their burning apartment yesterday, but could not save the 44-year-old mom who headed the household.

The Fire Department said the early-morning blaze on the second-floor apartment of 274 Sumpter St. in Brownsville appeared to be accidentally sparked, possibly by a candle.

The dead woman, Bertha "Butter" Byers, frequently kept a candle burning in her bedroom in the apartment she shared with her four children and a granddaughter, neighbors said.

Byers died from burns and smoke inhalation, according to authorities. Her children