A family is reeling Friday morning from the loss of a mother and her six-year-old daughter who were both killed in an early morning house fire in Fort Worth.
Friends tried unsuccessfully to rescue the pair from the blaze. Fire investigators said the mother and her daughter, one of two twins, got only as far at the doorway of a front room before succumbing to the fire.
The second daughter now has to deal with the loss of her mother and the twin sister she was close to.
"I loved my granddaughter and my daughter," Connie Arriola, the adult victim's mother and grandmother of the little girl, said. Though distraught over their deaths, Arriola now said she's focused on the granddaughter who survived.
Fort Worth fire investigators said the mother and two daughters had been staying with friends, Teresa Torres and her husband, Ernest, when the fire started.
Rebecca Chavez, a family member, said she's thankful the couple escaped with at least one of the little girls.
"I feel so bad for the other family," Chavez said. "Thank God she got out."
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During the fire, Ernest Torres attempted to save the mother and the other little girl, but couldn't get to them in the intense flames and suffered burns during the rescue attempt.
Then the fire spread.
Amalia Ramirez' house, directly next door, also caught fire and caused the family of five to evacuate.
"I hear my dad screaming saying, 'hurry up, wake up, the house is on fire!'" Ramirez said.
Her mom, dad, younger brother and sisters all made it out of the house alright, but the home was the second to be claimed by the fire.
"It was awful. I just remember coming outside and hearing the lady screaming and fire all over the house. It was scary," Ramirez said.
The Red Cross is helping the Ramirez family following the fire. The three survivors in the initial fire were transported to a local hospital, but are expected to be okay.
The Torres' family members believe a space heater in the home may have caused the fire, but investigators have not released their official report on the cause.
