Tonight, we have a packed newscast following the 3-day Independence Day weekend, but the story making headlines tonight is that a second family of 4 has died in a house fire in only 3 months.
This one happened in Orange Walk Town early yesterday morning, when the Petillo family was resting after a night out.
Alfredo Petillo and his 3 children, Kevawn Clarke, Jayda Petillo, and Mia Petillo, ages 10 to 14, became trapped in a blaze that destroyed their home, as well as those of their uncles.
The family yard, located at the corner of Progress and Cinderella Street in the Town, had 4 homes built close together, where the 3 Petillo Brothers and their spouses and children lived. At the main building is where their parents lived, but yesterday's fire started in Alfredo Petillo's kitchen and quickly spread to his brothers' family home, destroying everything in its wake.
Everyone managed to get out in time, but the 3 young children were trapped in the bedroom they sleep. Alfredo Petillo went in to rescue them, and unfortunately, it became a 4-person tragedy.
Our news team has been following the story, and Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
36 year-old Alfredo Petillo, his 14 year-old stepson, Kevawn Clarke, his 10 year-old daughter, Mia Petillo, and his 12 year-old daughter, Jayda Petillo, all perished in a house fire on Sunday morning.
It is an unthinkable tragedy that has the town shaken; 3 innocent children lost their lives in the place where they should be safest, and their father committed the greatest act of self-sacrifice, risking - and losing - his life, trying to rescue them.
Zelda Brown - Common-law Wife/Mother of Deceased
"He managed to take them to the bathroom and broke the pipe and cover them with the sheet, so the water could helped them, but it still didn't helped them."
Saturinno Petillo - Brother/Uncle of the Deceased
"It hurts. Deep within it hurts. I am no showing it, but it hurts."
Norma Petillo - Sister-in-law/Aunt of the Deceased
"It is sad to hear the the children who perished were screaming for help and there was no one that could get inside. Seeing their own children screaming for the other kids to come out and they can't. It's very hurtful."
All that sadness has resulted from a time should have been festive for the Petillo family. Norma Petillo, who is now homeless, and is mourning the loss of her brother-in-law, her nieces and nephew, was celebrating her birthday. Her friends were heading to her house for the break of dawn to serenade her. They arrived to find the family home ablaze, and everybody in bed, oblivious to the danger that was about to overtake them.
Norma Petillo
"Yesterday, sadly was my birthday and they were going to surprise me with "mananitas" in the morning. That was before 5am in the morning and the person that was going to bring the "mananitas" for me was the one that actually alerted us."
Emmerson Nah - Eyewitness
"We planned that we were going to go sing "mananitas" with wife alongside with my wife with him. So everything was already set up. Minutes to 5am banging the curve and next thing you see is just flames at the back. So we just parked the vehicle and we came out blowing the horn. They didn't woke up. We got out and we bang the doors and that is when they got alerted and the house is engulfed in flames and by the time we rescued Miss Norma and Corporal and their kids, we went to the following room, but they had already gotten out. The fire was just quick."
All 3 of the adult Petillo brothers immediately went into emergency mode, and they made sure to get their spouses and children out of the burning house. Alfredo Petillo tried to do the same, and he managed to save his common-law wife and their youngest son from the fire.
Zelda Brown
"About minutes to 4 when he woke me, he said 'babe get up, fire' he said get out and then he broke the side [wall] from the barber shop and took me and my baby out then the little at the back yelled for him. She said "dad" and he ran in back. He went in back and never came out, any of them."
For the rest of his children, Alfredo Petillo could do nothing to save them; he tried his best to rescue them. Outside, the other frantic family members also had to accept that this father and his kids were beyond help.
Saturinno Petillo
"By the time I came out of my house, I grab my son first and my girl grab the youngest child and the she dragged the other child. By that time I realize Pitts ran inside. I didn't know where he want. Then after that, I picked up my daughter from off the bed, because she ran inside back and started to cry. I ran out. I asked Pitts wife where are the kids and she said they were inside. I grabbed a piece of iron rod and whop all the windows and threw water. Only one scream I heard and then silence. I started to throw water telling my brother and his children to come out. Not knowing they already broke the pipe in the bathroom and he was hugging them up to keep them cool. If I had known I would have ran through the corner where he went in and took them out from there. But I didn't know. It when I saw where they were found. it hurts me so much. I can't explain it. If it was me that was in there, my brother would have run through that fire for me."
Zelda Brown
"It's the saddest thing when you want to help and you can't help them. He tried his best."
And Alfredo Petillo's family says that he made it well known that he was always prepared to give his life for his kids, if it ever came to that.
Saturinno Petillo
"He said that if he is to die, he would die with his family."
Zelda Brown
"He always told me that if anything is to happen to his family, that he would die for his family. He went in there to try to save the 3 and he didn't came out, but he managed to get us out and the other 3 children - he died with the baby in his hand."
So, while the Petillo family mourns the loss of these 4 loved ones, 11 more are homeless tonight, and all of their belongings were completely destroyed. Still, they are reflecting on the fact that while this is a terrible state of affairs, it could have been worse, and more lives could have been lost.
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