Residents of a quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn awoke yesterday morning to a disturbing sight: seven American flags had been either consumed by flames or badly singed – the result, police said, of an early-morning spree of vandalism.

One of the flags belonged to the family of a firefighter killed during the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. James Coyle Jr., then 26, had been at Ladder 3 in Union Square for only 10 months when he was called down to the World Trade Center, never to return. His mother, Regina Coyle, said she had flown an American flag in front of the house ever since as a reminder of her son, and as a commitment to her country.

She left her house at about 5 a.m. yesterday to walk her dog. When she returned 10 minutes later, she realized her flag was gone and that a puddle of black, melted rayon was on her doorstep,

“It’s just so devastating,” she said, standing on her doorstep with a pastel drawing of her son in uniform. “Why would you burn a flag?”

The flag burnings happened in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn, a suburban neighborhood of two-story homes that fan away from Marina Park. The area is popular with policemen, firefighters, and others in the civil service. Block parties aren’t uncommon, residents said, and displays of patriotism are the norm.

A neighbor across the street from Ms. Coyle on Avenue R – a firefighter at Ladder 3, where her son once worked – had his flag singed at the edges. Another four homes on 38th Street and one on 37th Street had their flags completely melted from the pole. Nothing was left of them except crispy chips of melted rayon on charred sidewalks.

Andre Mahe, 37, an engineer who lives with his wife on 38th Street, said he awoke at 4 a.m. to the smell of smoke. After realizing his air conditioner was blowing smoke from outside into his home, he went to investigate, only to find a burning pile of plastic where the trash can used to be. A few minutes later, he realized his flag was gone.

“Everyone is patriotic over here,” he said. “It makes me want to support the country even more. I’m just going to buy another flag.”

His neighbor, Susie Campbell, who said she was awake early with her baby, said she found a matchbook near a tree next to her house. Her flag, which was attached to a white fence, was completely melted. The family car and the fence also were damaged. Investigators took the matchbook and said they lifted two prints off the fence.

Police detectives and fire marshals were canvassing the neighborhood to find any witnesses of the early morning vandalism. As of yesterday evening, there were no suspects. Neighbors said a band of local teenagers had been running around out of control since school ended, lighting illegal firecrackers and drinking beer on street corners.

“It must have been kids,” Mrs. Coyle said. “I can’t imagine we would be targeted.”

While many of Basin Hill’s residents said they considered their neighborhood quiet and crime-free, they have seen their share of vicious incidents of vandalism in the past.

More than two years ago, the 21-year-old son of a city firefighter was arrested for spray-painting swastikas and sexual images on a statue of Mary and several walls of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church on Yom Kippur. The church’s monsignor, Thomas Brady, said the church has moved on from that incident.

“Hopefully, it’s just kids,” he said. “This happens once in a great while.”