Eleven-year-old
Mother, son separated in mobile home blaze
James Vega and his mother dropped to the floor to try to escape the flames in their home, but James never made it out. Now officials are trying to raise funds for his funeral.
Eleven-year-old James Vega rarely left his mother’s side.
Even on a quick trip to the grocery store, the St. Cloud boy wanted to be with his mom, Elianny Vega.
Last week, the two were together when their mobile home caught fire. They dropped to the floor to try to escape the flames, but mother and son somehow got separated, and James never made it out.
He died inside the home on Lime Avenue of smoke inhalation and burn trauma, the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday. Now, his relatives, with the help of local businesses and some St. Cloud Police officers who tried to save him, are trying to raise funds to pay for the funeral.
“When they realized the smoke was coming in, she grabbed him,” said cousin Alba Amadoz. “She had him, but we think he panicked ... She said the smoke was so thick she couldn’t see anything. It’s a miracle she made it out.”
Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Wednesday to the blaze in Golden Grove Mobile Home Park.
The home was completely engulfed when crews arrived at the park east of downtown. They were unable to go inside because the smoke and flames were too heavy, a department spokesman said.
St. Cloud Police Sgt. Anthony Miller said officials think bad wiring in the laundry room sparked the fire. Amadoz said James and his mother’s bedrooms were near the laundry room, and Vega told her they had to go through smoke to make it out.
The home was too damaged determine whether it had smoke detectors, Miller said. The State Fire Marshal is investigating.
Elianny Vega, 48, suffered third-degree burns on her legs, Amadoz said. She remains hospitalized and is undergoing skin grafts, according to her cousin.
James’ two teenage siblings, who were on the other side of the trailer, away from the fire, made it out uninjured.
After they escaped, they started screaming for James, but he didn’t answer. A neighbor also tried to get inside, but the flames and smoke made a rescue impossible, Amadoz said.
Family members remembered the fifth grader at Lakeview Elementary School as smart and inquisitive. He cared about others and enjoyed playing video games, his cousin said.
“He was really curious,” Amadoz said. “He always wanted to know what was happening
“He [James] was his mom’s right hand . ... He was very protective of his mother and vice versa.” Alba Amadoz, cousin
around him. He was always trying to learn. He was always asking questions.”
James’ relatives, with the help of local businesses and some St. Cloud Police officers who tried to save him, are trying to raise funds to pay for the funeral, which is expected to cost about $7,500.
The family set up a GoFundMe account, which had raised a little more than $1,000 as of Monday evening. The officers also set up an account under the name “Vega family” at SunTrust bank.
“He was a good kid,” Amadoz said. “He was his mom’s right hand. You know how someone is always right next to you? That was James. He was very protective of his mother and vice versa.”