Des Plaines fire officials say the heater likely caused a house fire that killed 4 young girls Citahaly Zamiodo

DES PLAINES, Ill. (WLS) – Fire officials at Des Plaines said Thursday they were investigating a space heater as the cause of a fatal blaze that killed a mother and four daughters.

The fire broke out on the second floor near the top of the stairs on Wednesday, which was the unit’s only entry and exit. Fire officials said there were no working smoke detectors in the unit.

The fire started at around 10:13 a.m. in the 700 block of West Oakton Street. Passers-by spotted smoke and called 911.

Downstairs neighbor Pabel Marrero said he first woke up to the familiar sound of children coming upstairs and then to the unsettling smell of burnt plastic and a stranger who passed knocking at the door.

“He is yelling at me to get out of the house because the house is on fire,” Marrero said.

“I was shocked,” said Yein Espinosa, whose brother lost his four daughters to the fire. “I was worried about the kids, the girls, pretty much and everyone who was inside. Where are they? What happened to them?

Espinoza said the family was heartbroken.

“They were great kids, full of happiness … they were great kids, great kids,” Espinoza said.

The firefighters who responded learned that there were still people inside the two-story side-by-side duplex and immediately began a search and rescue operation.

“We tell them, ‘There are children over there, children over there,” Merrero said. “They are trying to knock down the door, but the door wouldn’t come down.”

‘It’s a terrible day’, Des Plaines fire chief provides update on fatal fire

By the time firefighters broke in through black smoke and flames, it might be too late.

“One of the firefighters comes out with one of the girls in her hand and she’s blackened with all the smoke and everything. She’s semi-conscious,” Marrero said. “A minute or two goes by, there’s another coming out in the same state.”

The four sisters who died have been identified as Grace Espinosa, 1, Allizon V. Espinosa, 3, Genesis A. Espinosa, 5, and Renata P. Espinosa, 6, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“They were great kids, full of happiness and play,” Espinosa said.

The children were taken to hospital and pronounced dead, while their mother, Citahaly Zamiodo, 25, died at the scene, officials said.

“This is a tragedy that I haven’t seen in my 34 and 36 years in the fire service,” said Des Plaines Fire Chief Daniel Anderson. “It’s a terrible day, a tragic day for Des Plaines.”

Neighbors said the girls’ father was at work when contacted about the fire. Sam Kuraishi said he owns a landscaping business and helps his neighbors. Kuraishi had just paid him this morning for shoveling his sidewalk.

“A wonderful man,” Kuraishi said. “Never hurt anyone. The guy is very helpful.”

Several agencies responded to help put out the house fire. A firefighter sustained a knee injury and a police officer sustained a minor cut, officials said.