Four people, including three elementary school-aged children, died in a Texas house fire last week. Officials believe the family was using the fireplace to stay warm after losing power during a winter storm that slammed the state.
PEOPLE reports that the Sugar Land Fire Department responded to a call around 2 a.m. When firefighters arrived, the house was already engulfed, and flames were pouring out of the home’s front door and window.
Three children and their grandmother were found deceased in the home. The mother of the children and a neighbor were treated for burns.
The children have been identified as Olivia, 11, Edison, 5, and Colette Nguyen, 5.
Two separate GoFundMe’s have been set up in honor of the children and have collectively raised more than $430,000. One was set up by the children’s aunt on behalf of their father, Nathan Nguyen, and the other by their mother, Jackie Pham Nguyen.
SLFD spokesman Doug Adolph told the Houston Chronicle that the fire is still under investigation.
“Obviously, they were trying to stay warm,” he said. “We can’t say that’s what the cause was; we just think we know they were using a fireplace.”
