A Houston community is in mourning after a mother lost her life attempting to save her son from a deadly house fire. The fire, which broke out in Houston's Northside neighborhood early Saturday morning, claimed the lives of 31-year-old Giovanna Cabrera and her 1-year-old son, Gabriel. According to KPRC 2, Cabrera managed to save her two older children, before re-entering the blaze to rescue her youngest.
The devastating incident drew an immediate response from firefighters, who arrived at 218 Heaney Drive to find the house engulfed in flames. Firefighters were unable to enter the home at the time due to the intensity of the fire, as KHOU reported. In a state, of grief, relatives remembered the bravery of the mother. "She got the two kids, the nine year old and the six year old and then she was going back through for the baby," Cabrera's sister Giselle Bueno said in a statement obtained by KPRC 2.
The community has come together in the aftermath to support the bereaved family. On Sunday, family, friends, and even members of a local church organized by a pastor provided aid and sifted through the remains of the charred home. "We've just been having family members, and just friends. It’s all these people that are coming to help us," Bueno expressed to KPRC 2. She added, "We just want to say thank you for everyone that has helped and everyone that has said so many nice things about my sister."
While the Houston Fire Department continues, to investigate the cause of the blaze, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Fire Chief Samuel Peña have both acknowledged the tragedy on social media. Peña offered his "prayers and condolences to the family" while also remarking on the heart-rending choice Cabrera faced as a mother. Offering a glimpse into the family's loss, Cabrera's sister Giselle Bueno told KTRK, "She had him in her arms, the baby, so I know she tried. I know if she could’ve, she would have made it out."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with the funerals and support the surviving family members. As per KTRK reports, the fundraiser will also benefit Cabrera's parents, who "lost everything in the home as well" and Cabrera's two older children who are now with their father.
