Teen girl killed in fire in Pasadena
Lit candle is likely cause of blaze that also sent her mother to hospital
A lit candle — the warmth and glow of which is a classic symbol of the holiday season — is believed to have caused a fire that claimed the life of a well-liked and vibrant teen early Saturday in Pasadena.
A house in the 200 block of Randall erupted in flames around 12:30 a.m. with three generations of women inside.
Alma Isabel Adame, 17, was overcome by smoke, authorities said, and died in the backyard after firefighters pulled her out of a second-story bedroom.
“She was perfect. She was the most caring person I have ever known,” said Henry Gomez, her 16-year-old boyfriend. “She made me feel loved because, before her, I was a very emotionless person, and as soon as she came along, everything changed.”
Gomez and other classmates from Pasadena High School de- scribed Adame as a kind young woman who sang in the school choir, loved animals and planned to become a veterinarian. She had applied to Texas A&M University’s flagship in College Station and the Corpus Christi campus as well as the University of Houston.
“She volunteers at a church. For Halloween, she gave out candy,” said Ethan Delgado, 17. “She’s a good person. This shouldn’t have happened to her.”
Dylan Diaz, 16, said he will remember Adame as a shy individual who opened up when she got to know people and a student who expressed strong, clear ideas in their sociology class.
By Saturday afternoon, there was a small memorial of flowers, balloons and photos on the edge of the front yard in the shadow of a melted green city garbage canister.
The two-story, woodframed yellow house was tricky for firefighters to navigate, Pasadena Fire Marshal David Brannon said, because of several renovations. The original one-story house was encased by a second floor, side additions and concealed voids where flames hid.
“The firefighters actu- ally pulled the girl out pretty quickly ,” Brannon said. “The fire was actually under control in a timely manner, but it was all the hidden spots that made it difficult.”
Adame’s mother, whose name has not been released, jumped from a second-level bathroom window, the fire marshal said. She sustained smoke inhalation injuries and several burns and bruises from the leap. She was intubated at Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena, then transferred to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Brannon said. She is expected to survive, he added.
The teen’s grandmother, who is in her 70s, escaped the house unhurt.
The preliminary cause of the fire was determined to be an accident.
“It looks like it is going to be a candle on a table,” Brannon said.