Relatives of the four people who died in a southwest Las Vegas house fire last week said Friday that they’re looking for answers to a million unknown questions.
Alijah Adem and Awet Adem gathered at the office of Naqvi Injury Law to publicly remember Abdusalem, 43, Ibrahim, 48, Anaya, 7, and Aaliyah Adem, 6, who were found dead after the Oct. 24 early morning house fire at 8332 Langhorne Creek St. Alijah Adem is the son of Abdusalem Adem, while Awet Adem is the brother of Abdusalem and Ibrahim.
Senait Adem, who was Abdusalem Adem’s wife, jumped from a third-story window with their son Amani Adem, 5, in a move that loved ones said saved both of their lives. Senait Adem was also at the law office Friday, but she declined to speak.
“My sister-in-law Senait is a hero,” Awet Adem said. “None of us will jump out of the window, third story, unless you have no choice.”
Anaya and Aaliyah, who were Abdusalem and Senait Adem’s two daughters, never made it out of the house. Alijah Adem spoke about his younger sisters.
“She always woke me up for school,” he said of Anaya. Aaliyah, he said, was a “tough one.”
Both Alijah and Awet Adem said they have no answers about the cause of the fire. As they search for an explanation, Awet Adem said “the next step is to continue to be together.”
In a news conference earlier this week, Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck said the investigation into the cause of the fire could take months.
‘He stayed with his girls’
When Ibrahim Adem suspected there might be a fire in the house, he knocked on Senait Adem’s door, his brother Awet Adem said.
Senait Adem tried to go downstairs to find an exit route, but the smoke and fire was traveling upward, according to Awet Adem.
“By the time Senait got to the middle hallway with my brothers and my nieces, the smoke was dark. The fire was there,” Awet Adem said.
With no other choices, Senait Adem jumped out of the window with Amani.
Just as she is a hero, Awet Adem said, so are Abdusalem — or Abdul, as family and friends call him — and Ibrahim Adem.
“As an adult male, they could have easily ran out to jump out somewhere, but they decided to be there” with the young girls, he said.
Awet Adem said his brother Abdul didn’t like traveling but had been out of town for a business trip.
“He wanted to surprise the girls,” he said. “It was important to him to come home early, as a dad.”
Awet Adem said his brother planned on waiting until the morning of Oct. 24 to surprise Anaya and Aaliyah, so as to let them sleep the night before.
“Easily, if he wasn’t here, he would have lived,” Awet Adem said. “But as a father, something must have gave him a reason to come earlier.”
“He was there, and he never left his kids. He’s a hero,” he said. “He stayed with his girls.”
The family members said they’re not sure whether the others tried to jump, as well, but said that they would not have jumped without the girls.
Remembering loved ones
Abdul Adem was known as a prominent basketball coach in the community, having coached young athletes for over 17 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He founded a travel Amateur Athletic Union team called Chosen Premier, which his son Alijah Adem played on as a founding member.
“He was a great dad,” Alijah Adem said. “He was a dad to people that’s not even his kids. Anybody who he was in contact with, anybody on my team, will say the same exact thing.”
An important figure in the Eritrean and Ethiopian communities in Las Vegas, Abdul Adem had a “vision, mission and passion to help his community,” Girma Zaid, an interpreter and document preparer who helps people with immigration cases, previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Growing up in the 1990s, Awet Adem said the Eritrean and Ethiopian community in Las Vegas was composed of fewer than a dozen people. As Abdul Adem grew to understand American culture, he wanted to help others do the same, Awet Adem said. “His line was open,” he added.
Alijah Adem said his little sister Anaya was like “another mother to me, even though she was way younger than me.”
As well as waking him up for school, Anaya would bring him food and was full of compassion, he said.
He remembered playing with Aaliyah, who was “very aggressive,” he said with a smile. “It had to be her way,” he said.
Awet Adem described his brother Ibrahim Adem as compassionate and understanding. “He’ll give you advice, and he’ll walk away,” he said. “He’ll know you’re going to process it.”
Awet Adem said his brother went by “Snoop,” because he walked and dressed like rapper Snoop Dogg.
Ibrahim Adem was never a judgmental person, Awet Adem said. “No matter what you go through in life, he’ll pick up the call.”
The search for answers
While the relatives said Naqvi Injury Law is helping them search for answers, they’re not pursuing any legal claims yet.
“We don’t know anything,” Awet Adem said. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
The family is still suffering the injuries from the fire, both physical and mental.
Amani, the 5-year-old, is “still hurt really bad,” Awet Adem said. “He has autism, so he’s not comfortable. He’s used to home.”
The boy was treated at University Medical Center and is being treated for a broken pelvis, Awet Adem said. He’s in a wheelchair, and the family does not yet know his prognosis.
“It’s hard to make him understand,” Awet Adem said.
Moving forward, Awet Adem said it’s hard to even articulate the questions his family needs answers to.
“To be honest, there’s a million questions that we need to know,” he said.
The family will host a funeral for Abdul, Ibrahim, Anaya and Aaliyah Adem on Thursday.
Awet Adem said he wants to see smiles, rather than tears, at the funeral.
“Abdul was the backbone of the family,” Awet Adem said. “He always figured a way to get everyone together. So the motto is, even if he’s here or not, always do the right thing if you’re family.”
The funeral is set to take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Central Church in Henderson, according to a GoFundMe page set up to assist the family. A burial service is set to follow at 2 p.m. at Palm Eastern Mortuary and Cemetery.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.