MIAMI (WSVN) - A fourth child has died days after a house fire in Miami.
City of Miami Police confirmed that the victim died on Wednesday. The passing of this child comes after the deaths of the child’s three siblings following a fire at the home off Northwest 18th Terrace and 36th Avenue on Dec. 30.
Police have identified the four siblings as 1-year-old Naziyah Fernandez, 6-year-old Nomar Lopez, 8-year-old Nainalee Lopez and 11-year-old Heilyn Mejia.
Christopher Fernandez, the children’s uncle, spoke out for the first time since the fire, Thursday afternoon. He said three of the children are siblings and a fourth child was their cousin.
“Four gorgeous, smart, full of life, intelligent, amazing children — we took a loss,” Fernandez said. “We’re heartbroken. The future took a loss. Those kids were the pride and joy of this family.”
Witnesses near the scene heard screams from a young woman desperately calling for help.
“I heard a big boom,” one witness said.
“She screamed it, like, ‘The children! The children!'” another witness said.
A good Samaritan went into the burning home to search for the children trapped inside.
“He tried to get in, but there was too much smoke,” a third witness said.
“You could hear screaming for help,” a fourth witness said. “He couldn’t see. He felt that he couldn’t even open his eyes or breathe, so he has to step back. He actually was crying when he came outside because he couldn’t get to the kids.”
The children’s mother and grandmother had to be taken to the hospital, where they are recovering after the blaze.
Fernandez said his sister is grieving the loss of her children.
“As you may imagine, she’s distraught right now at the moment, but she’s surrounded by family, and she’s surrounded by love,” he said.
“We can’t even imagine how hard it is for this family to lose not one child, but to lose four children at once,” Miami Police spokesperson Michael Vega said.
Fernandez struggled to find the words to describe the loss of his loved ones, but he said he is hopeful for support from the community.
“There’s not too many words I can say right now,” Fernandez said. “I just ask for some well wishes, some love and some support. We need the support from South Florida. We need you guys right now.”
7News cameras captured a teddy bear that has been placed in front of the family’s home.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the victims’ family. If you would like to donate, click here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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