Overwhelming grief
Vigil held for two children who died in Chimayó house fire Saturday
Sweet and loving. This is how friends and family described two young girls who perished in a house fire early Saturday morning in Chimayó.
Dozens of community members gathered outside El Santuario de Chimayó on Monday evening for an emotional vigil in remembrance of 12-year-old Elliana Martinez and 10-year-old Aaleah Carbajal, who had been spending the night in the home with their parents, who are in a relationship.
Handheld candles lit a courtyard at the shrine and pilgrimage site as a local priest spoke about overcoming grief in a time of mourning.
A GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the girls’ families said they had died of smoke inhalation from the fire, which broke out as they slept in the home on Plaza del Cerro, just down the road from the santuario. Their parents were able to escape the flames and smoke and save Elliana’s 4-year-old sister, family members said, but Elliana and Aaleah never made it out.
“The whole family was asleep when the fire happened,” said family friend Sabina Ribas. “[Elliana’s] dad tried everything he could in his power to save those two little girls.”
Capt. Jimmy Vigil of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said the cause of the fire, which left the single-story home a charred shell in a historic neighborhood of Chimayó, remains under investigation. He expects to release more details later this week, Vigil said, though it could be weeks before the cause is known.
Blackened toys, clothing, shoes and bedding were left strewn around the ruins of the home Monday afternoon.
In addition to the online fundraising campaign, the family is receiving support from the American Red Cross, Vigil said.
Jacob Martinez, Elliana’s father, was overwhelmed with grief at Monday’s vigil.
His statement to the crowd of mourners was brief: “She was very loving,” he said of his daughter.
Aaleah had been at the home with her mother, Kristy Martinez, who is Jacob Martinez’s girlfriend.
April Dominguez, Aaleah’s longterm substitute teacher at Tony E. Quintana Elementary School in Sombrillo, where Aaleah was in fifth grade, said she was bright, kind, friendly and always sparking new friendships with those around her.
“She had good, close friends,” Dominguez said. “And she loved reading all the time. She always volunteered to read.
“She was a sweet, loving girl,” Dominguez added.
She and another teacher had created a poster in honor of the girls, with a place for family members and friends to write their thoughts and condolences on note cards.
Elliana’s grandmother, Eleanor
Martinez, said her granddaughter was “innocent and sweet.”
“She loved to sing; she sang from the heart,” Eleanor Martinez said.
She had raised Elliana from the age of 4 in Albuquerque, where she was attending McKinley Middle School, the grandmother said, adding Jacob Martinez frequently visited and spent time with Elliana.
Ribas said she had watched Elliana grow up throughout the years.
“She was always smiling, always happy, a very respectful little girl,” Ribas said. “She greeted everyone with a big smile and hug, and if she didn’t know you, she would get to know you.”
She emphasized heavy efforts were made to rescue the girls, who likely had been sleeping in the same room when the fire ignited.
Scripture was bringing her peace, she said — specifically Matthew 5:4 which reads: “God blesses those who mourn for they will be comforted.”
The deadly fire in Chimayó was one of three in the area over the weekend. A brush far that sparked near Santo Domingo Pueblo burned 113 acres, Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson said.
The fire was over 70 percent contained Monday, with crews from the Bureau of Indian Affairs still working to put out the remaining embers, he said.
Another fire struck Madrid, where a century-old home burned down. Officials said no one was injured in the blaze.
Blackened toys, clothing, shoes and bedding were left strewn around the ruins of the home Monday afternoon.