The family of a 6-year-old girl who died tragically in a Norristown house fire that also claimed the lives of her sister and two others is struggling to come up with the money to send the girl's body back home to Mexico for a proper burial.
Now, they're turning to the public for help, trying to raise $20,000 for Yaritza Vinalay Pineda's funeral in Mexico via a GoFundMe page.
Yaritza died at Albert Einstein Medical Center on Saturday after a fire tore through the twin home on the 800 block of Dekalb Street in the early-morning hours. The fire reached two alarms.
Officials said on Tuesday that Yaritza's sister, 11-year-old Jennifer Vinalay, died overnight of injuries she suffered in the fire -- so the family will likely need to send both girls' bodies to Mexico for burials.
Elepidio Fuentes Lopez, 74, also died in the fire. A fourth victim, also an adult who has not been identified, was found dead inside the home along with Lopez.
The four Norristown victims are among seven people who died in fires in the region Saturday, according to the American Red Cross. The other two deadly fires occurred in South and West Philadelphia.
Investigators said the Norristown fire appeared to have originated on the enclosed porch of the home. They do not believe it started under suspicious circumstances.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Family members were devastated at the loss of the little girls and the two others who died in the fire.
Manuel Irizarry, Lopez's son, described his father as the family’s patriarch.
"We're gonna miss him and we're gonna love him," Irizarry said. "We're here as a family. He liked to play cards, sports and be with the family."
Lopez is not related to Jennifer and Yaritza. It's unclear whether the fourth victim is related to the girls or to Lopez. Neighbors told NBC10 that the little girls' father frantically tried to save them during the fire.
"He was yelling for help and for us to call 9-1-1," said Marco Vargas, a witness.
