by TATIANA DELIGIANNAKIS and JOE McGURK
Two terrified young brothers and their baby sister were killed in a fire in their Queens basement apartment last night after their hysterical mom tried in vain to save them, authorities and relatives said.
The blaze was caused by the children, who were playing in their basement apartment with matches, said fire marshal Louis Garcia.
"It's a nightmare, I can't believe it's happening," said the kids' grief-stricken uncle George Gaston, 36, who lives across the street from the young family's basement apartment at 40-77 Denman St. in Elmhurst.
An elderly man who lived in a first-floor apartment also died in the blaze.
The kids' mom, Jennifer Gaston, 27, at first escaped the flames shortly after they broke out around 5:45 p.m., rushing outside with two of her children — Ashley, 6 months, and Brandon, 8.
Then, realizing her other three children were still trapped inside, the mom tried to run back in to rescue them.
But the flames and billowing smoke were too much, forcing her back outside, where she collapsed on the sidewalk.
The weeping mother could later be seen frantically talking to firefighters about her trapped children, identified as Jocelyn Collado, 1, Christian Gaston, 5, and Richard Laboy, 6.
The boys' bodies were discovered huddled together in a closet, fire officials said.
The baby girl was found dead in her crib.
"The mother . . . is very, very distraught," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who was at the scene last night. "I don't know if she fully comprehends at this moment the terrible tragedy."
Jennifer Gaston, with her mother and other relatives, were taken to the 110th Precinct station house. They were still there early today, talking to police and Red Cross aides as they sorted out details of where they would live over the next few days.
Gaston, who is unemployed, grew up in the neighborhood.
"I just lost three grandchildren," said Frank Guido, 55, Jennifer Gaston's stepfather.
"It hasn't sunk in yet. I think we are all in shock right now."
"I'm shocked," added George Gaston. "They're beautiful kids. They're all really affectionate."
About a dozen adults and seven children lived in the two-story house, said David Done, who rented a room on the second floor.
Several people in the building rented individual rooms and shared a bathroom, Done said.
"I didn't expect it to get so bad," he said of the flames.
"My room was the last one to go on fire. I lost everything."
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