Monday, November 27, 2017

Four people, including two children under the age of six, died in a Garland, Texas house fire that started on an enclosed back patio Saturday: Lorenzo Castillo, Ana Castillo, daughter Alia and 2-year-old son Alan.











Four people, including two children under the age of six, died in a Garland house fire that started on a patio Saturday.


The victims were identified as 40-year-old Lorenzo Castillo, his 29-year-old wife Ana Castillo, Ana's 5-year-old daughter Alia and the couple's 2-year-old son Alan.

Five other people in the home escaped, including the family's 8-year-old son, according to the fire marshal.

Family members said the Castillo's, who live in Bridgeport, were visiting Lorenzo's brother, his wife and their two children at their Garland home. Other family, including Lorenzo's father, had just left town.

Victims Identified in Deadly Garland House Fire
A Garland Fire Department statement says the bodies of two adults and their two children were found early Saturday. Five other people in the home escaped, including the family's older 10-year-old son according to the fire marshal.(Published Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017)

They said the family had been enjoying the night together on a back patio in the hours before the fire began.

A neighbor across the street called 911 to report the fire shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday. The homeowner tried to re-enter the home when he realized his cousin and the rest of his family were missing, but the fire was too intense.

Another neighbor said he began banging on the windows.


"It really breaks my heart," said the neighbor, 16-year-old Anthony Cruz.

Back home in Bridgeport, their voices and laughter are missing from Ana's family home. The Castillos had recently moved in with her mother and stepfather to help care for him as he battles terminal cancer.

“I don’t hear my niece and nephew running around calling for my mom or me, saying our names like they used to. It’s too quiet,” said Ana’s sister, Brenda Mireles.

Now Ana's parents and siblings will step in to help raise her surviving son, an 8-year-old coping with the fact his parents and siblings won't be coming home.

"He'll always have us. We'll always love him," said Mireles.

Authorities traced the fire to an enclosed back patio and don't believe the blaze was intentional. The fire marshal said there was a space heater, refrigerator and other electronics in the room and a fire pit outside. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.





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GARLAND, Texas -- The Garland Fire Department is investigating what caused a fire that killed four people, including two children, early Saturday morning.

The victims have been identified as 41-year-old Lorenzo Castillo, 29-year-old Ana Castillo, Ana's 5-year-old daughter, and the couple's 2-year-old son. They were visiting from Bridgeport, Texas and staying with relatives over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Just after 1 a.m., firefighters were called to a home at 1416 Williams Drive, off South Garland Avenue and just north of West Miller Road.

The house was engulfed in flames with people still inside as crews arrived.

Neighbor Anthony Cruz said the man living at the home tried to go in for the rescue.

"The family was running towards my house and the husband was trying to go in and rescue them while I was knocking on the window," said Cruz.

A neighbor called 911 and firefighters also tried to save those inside once they arrived but were unable.

There were a total of nine people inside the home at the time of the fire. Five were able to escape, including a third son of the couple.

Ashley Snead said the family living at the home is liked by all their neighbors and family gatherings were not uncommon.

"They are always having families over for get-togethers and just really enjoying life," she said.

Officials say the family of four was sleeping in a bedroom in the back of the house when the fire broke out inside an enclosed patio.

While the fire doesn't seem to be intentional, the cause is under investigation. The owner of the home told officials they heard a "popping noise."

The home had one smoke detector in the hallway, but it's unclear if it was working.

A neighbor across the street called 911 to report the fire.