Hundreds Mourn 5 Young Fire Victims

Hundreds of people packed a church sanctuary Saturday where five small white coffins stood end to end, covered in pink and red roses.

Inside the Cornerstone Baptist Church in South-Central Los Angeles, nearly 700 people came to grieve the loss of five children, ages 1 to 10, who died when an early morning fire trapped their sleeping family inside a converted Watts garage Dec. 19.

A hush moved over the crowd when their mother, Sabrina Burnett, 41, was pushed down the aisle in a wheelchair. Her arms, legs and feet were swathed in gauze. Her forehead and nose were pink from the burns she suffered in the fire. She lost five of her 12 children in the blaze--Danielle Smith, 10; Alexis Curtis, 7; Alexandria Curtis, 6; Alan Curtis Jr., 3; and Alex Curtis, 1. The father of four of the children, Alan Curtis Sr., 38, was unable to attend the funeral because he is in County-USC Medical Center’s burn unit, listed in serious condition after suffering third-degree burns over 50% of his body. He rescued an infant daughter, Altranae, who was treated for minor injuries and released from a local hospital.

In one row sat the six firefighters who were the first on the scene to battle back the flames sparked apparently by an electric space heater. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

During the emotional three-hour funeral filled with gospel music and prayers, several people spoke about the endearing qualities that made each child memorable.

Cyrene St. Amant, a second-grade teacher at 102nd Street Elementary School, recalled that Alexis was a “straightforward, no-nonsense type of child.”

St. Amant pulled out a letter that the girl had written to Santa Claus just days before the fire. Unlike most children, Alexis did not ask for a carload of gifts. She merely wanted to tell Santa and Mrs. Claus that she appreciated the presents they brought.

“I know she was yours,” the schoolteacher said to Burnett. “But for a short time she was mine too. . . . I will miss her.”

Jason Smith, a fifth-grade teacher at the same school, described Danielle as a caring, nurturing girl who was so willing to help others that she rarely went out for recess. Instead she stayed behind to help in the school office, the cafeteria or the classroom. “She was into fun learning,” he recalled. “Whenever I was giving a boring lesson, she would let me know it.”

One of the most poignant moments came when a letter was read that had been written by Alan Curtis Sr. to his deceased children. “I’m sorry, sons, that you don’t get a chance to grow up to do the things I had planned for us: fishing, running, always a father-and-son team,” he wrote. “Tell my daughters I love them and miss them so much. Please be good. Remember I will always love you and keep you in my heart.”