Fire Sparked By Christmas Tree Lights Kills Family

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A Hispanic father and three of his children died in a fire at his California apartment. The fire was caused, according to authorities, by the lights of his Christmas tree. At around 1 a.m. the family's Hemet residence began to burn and the fire spread to other apartments, NBC San Diego reported.

Investigators and fire department officials determined that the fire was caused by an electrical problem with the family's Christmas tree lights. The father, identified as Juan Moreno, 41, died when he returned to the building to try to save his children, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"No one saw him alive after that anymore," Sgt. Nate Miller of the Hemet Police Department told NBC Los Angeles. "It is a terrible situation." The sergeant added that as a father he understands Moreno's reaction to entering the burning apartment to try to get his children out alive. Unfortunately, the fire also killed her daughters Maria Moreno, 12, and Janessa Moreno, 4. Her son Isaac Moreno, 8, suffered serious injuries and died in hospital on Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

NBC Los Angeles reported that 40 other people were evacuated from their apartments by the fire. A GoFundMe account has been created to help pay for the family's funeral expenses. "Our family is very sad that Isaac, who was fighting for his life, has passed away," loved ones reported on the Go Fund Me page about the 8-year-old boy. "We love you very little, that you rest in peace with your sisters and your daddy." The same page reveals that another of Moreno's daughters, an 11-year-old girl, survived the fire and managed to leave the apartment. Sergeant Scott BrownHemet's fire department stressed the importance of having fire alarms in the home as this case shows that every second counts when rescuing victims of a fire. May they rest in peace.