A southern California family is celebrating their first Christmas without two young daughters who died in a fire started by a Christmas tree.
Barstow firefighters were summoned to the area shortly before 7 p.m. on Dec. 14 after getting several reports of a home fire with children trapped inside, according to a social media post from the department.
Charmon and Akeem Isom told FOX 11 Los Angeles that they tried all they could to save their family before firemen came, but Aalijah and Annie Isom, both 2, were stuck.
“You run, and you try to do as much as you can,” Charmon Isom explained. “Break windows, rush in, try to get in, try to get under fire.” I have (first-degree) burns on my feet from attempting to enter there.”
To find the girls, firefighters had to jump through two different bedroom windows. The Barstow Fire Protection District reported that once they were turned over to police, the officers hurried them to ambulances. A nearby hospital received the girls immediately.
According to the family, Aalijah was lost first. After being taken to a burn center and placed on life support, Annie’s parents chose to let her go, and she passed away after a week of fighting. After the 7-year-old passed away, her organs were donated.
The girls’ father declared during a vigil on Saturday that “no amount of money, no amount of valuables can bring back my children.”
To help the remainder of the family find a new home and to cover the cost of the girls’ funerals, the family is currently organizing a fundraiser. It is thought that at the house they lost, the smoke alarms were inoperable.