1,000 Mourn Deaths of Six in House Fire
More than 1,000 mourners packed St. Benedict Catholic Church in Montebello on Monday for an emotional farewell to five children and a teen-ager who were killed in a house fire.
Honor guards from the Montebello Police and Fire departments attended the services. The Rev. Martin Lugo urged relatives of the victims to take solace in their faith.
The Jan. 24 fire, reportedly touched off by smoldering smoking material, struck at night at the Montebello home of Joseph and Gloria Medina as the occupants slept. It came hours after a christening party there for 1-year-old Jacob Medina.
Sisters Danielle, 9, Racquel, 6, and Joi Medina, 5, and their stepsister, Aida Borunda, 18, died in the blaze. Also killed were Raquel Lopez, 7, and Mandie Lopez, 10, who were spending the night.
After the flames were put out, firefighters found a smoke detector, still in its box, in a closet in the house.
A young man who organized car washes to raise money for the Medinas said the family is in great need. “They have nothing,” he said.
“They’ll never be able to replace their children. But, as far as material things, they have nowhere to go.”
The services were followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Montebello.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
