Dozens gathered outside the charred remains of a mobile home in Tempe during a vigil Tuesday night to mourn five family members who were killed in a fire in August.
The vigil came three days after 22-year-old Valerie Magana-Gonzalez died in hospital — nearly three weeks after she was admitted to the hospital in critical condition from injuries she suffered in the fire, according to a family spokesman.
Magana-Gonzalez was a mother 18-month-old Ellany Ruiz and 3-year-old Ariaelly Ruiz, who died in the fire on Aug. 25, according to Tempe police Sgt. Ryan Cook.
The children’s father, Enrique Ruiz, 24, and their mother, Monica Ruiz, 51, also died in the fire, according to Cook.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pictures of the dead family were plastered on the chain link fence in front of the house with flowers, stuffed animals and candles covering the fence. Friends and family members held lit candles while someone said a prayer in Spanish.
Synthia Ruiz, a sister of Enrique and daughter of Monica, expressed how grateful she was to the community for coming together and supporting her. Ruiz said his family will be able to lay their loved ones to rest thanks to donations to a GoFundMe page that had raised nearly $19,000 to help cover funeral expenses.
“Tonight’s vigil is just to honor our loved ones,” Ruiz said. “To thank the community for all their love and support they have given us. And most of all to thank them for all the support and all the donations we have received thanks to the community, friends and family.”
Ruiz said the most anyone can do for their family is to keep them in their prayers.
Give help: Tempe woman seeks community support after mobile home fire claims 4 lives
“They were all wonderful people,” Ruiz said. “I think we will never forget the smiles of our granddaughter, her joy, her voice. I think that until this point we can still hear. My mother is someone we can never forget, like my brother and our sister-in-law who, thanks to her, we had two amazing grandchildren.”
The vigil concluded with the crowd blowing out their candles and saying not “goodbye” but “see you later”.
Another fatality: The fifth victim died after the mobile home fire in Tempe in late August
This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Dozens attend vigil to remember 5 dead in Tempe mobile home fire