Father, son, dog killed in overnight fire in Hempstead in building without working smoke detectors

A father and son died in an overnight fire on Long Island. 

The fire broke out in an Albermarle Avenue building in Hempstead Village at around 4 a.m. Friday.

Father and son remembered

Kenneth Roberts, 42, and his son Mekhi, 12, were trapped in intense smoke inside a basement apartment. Their dog was also killed.

Roberts' wife Lissett Cruz said she's in a state of shock. 

"I got a call this morning from my sister-in-law that my stepson and my husband didn't make it," she said. "[Mekhi] was autistic. He was 12. Very loving. He loved video games. He was a good kid. My husband was - he loved his son. He loved his family. He was a loving, honest person."

Roberts was a veterinary technician, and Mekhi had told his father he wanted to become a firefighter.

Ten other residents were displaced by the fire and are being helped by the Red Cross.

No working smoke detectors

The building received violations for having no working smoke detectors, which is against state law, and the Village of Hempstead is investigating whether the basement apartment was illegal.

"Yes, there was a lot of people living here. There was definitely subdivided units. The Village of Hempstead's building department and the mayor is aware, and they're opening an investigation and talking with the owner. We had the owner on scene earlier. I can tell you, yes, there were no working or operating smoke alarms. We can't say it enough - they save lives," Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.

"The landlord should be held accountable for this. Everybody should have fire alarms. All these buildings and apartments should have fire alarms. What does it take to get a fire alarm so that someone could be protected?" neighbor Patricia Brown said. 

CBS News New York's calls and messages to the building owner and landlord were not returned.