NY Daily News

Firefighter Michael Reilly's grieving parents thanked New Yorkers for their support. They also said they were "embracing the challenge of burying their son" as their tight-knit town of Ramsey, N.J., prepared for Friday's funeral and the expected 15,000 mourners, from fellow firefighters to Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki.

Reilly "was so moved by the experience of 9/11 that he offered his life to be a Marine in Iraq and a firefighter protecting the lives and property of the people of New York City," his parents, Michael and Monica, said.

"It's a difficult time," said FDNY Chaplain Chris Keenan, as he shared the family's message outside the family's home. "But they are trying to be strong."

As Reilly's and FDNY Lt. Howard Carpluk's loved ones prepared for their back-to-back funerals Friday and Saturday, fire and police investigators probed what caused the floor to collapse as firefighters searched a Bronx 99-cent store.

"It's going to take some time to get the real answers, and that's what we'll do," Bloomberg said.

The mayor said he spoke to one of the firefighters who suffered smoke inhalation during Sunday's three-alarm blaze on Walton Ave. in Mount Eden.

That firefighter said she was manning a hose line on the ground floor not far from Reilly, 25, and 43-year-old Carpluk, who were among five Bravest who fell through the floor into the basement.

"She said that where she and her fellow firefighters were they didn't have a problem. They just looked over and all of a sudden the floor on the other side of the room collapsed. We don't know why yet," the mayor said.

Sunday's fire, believed to have started behind the discount store's refrigeration unit, has not been labeled suspicious.

But investigators are probing whether shoddy repair work after a 2000 arson fire led to the fatal floor collapse.

The July 2000 blaze allegedly started when someone poured gasoline on the roof, a police source said. The case was closed in February 2001, with no arrests.

A co-owner of the building, Gabe Bauer, submitted paperwork with the city Buildings Department to make roof repairs soon after the fire. The repairs were made, but never inspected by the city.

Bauer, of Bauer Oil Burner Services, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

David Gold, another co-owner of the building, referred questions about repairs to his lawyer Jeffrey Hoffman. "Our records show the 2000 fire started in the (laundermat in the building), and the tenant made the repairs, and there was nothing about anyone pouring gasoline on the roof," Hoffman said.

Gold pleaded guilty in 1984 to a misdemeanor stemming from a federal probe into an arson-for-hire scheme. He was accused of locating 37 rundown buildings in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan that were later torched.

Investigators also quizzed Eddie Ortiz, the contractor who installed two indoor ceiling heaters in the store in January 2002. Ortiz said he did not recall anything out of the ordinary at the store. "All my work was done by the numbers," Ortiz added, noting the heaters themselves weighed about 50 pounds each.

Anis Shaibi, owner of the Mega 99 Cent store, said fire marshals grilled him about roof work that was done, but he noted that work predated his business.

But Shaibi said the large rooftop air conditioning units he had installed were put up without additional supports.

"At first we were sad about the store," he said. "But after we found out that firefighters have died - that's the most tragic thing about it."

A forensic engineer from the city Buildings Department returned to the scene yesterday, but it may be weeks before the investigation is complete.

"The question is what did the building look like before the fire. We're putting the puzzle back together. That's where we are at this point," Buildings Department spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said.