Family, friends grieve for Aurora fire victims

When Marcela Zaca told her son, 10-year-old Alvaro, that a fire had struck an apartment building on Claim Street, he immediately feared for his friend. It did not take long for him to find out the horrible news.

His soccer buddy and classmate, Jose Marcos, 9, was among the six who perished after a fire, aided by two stairwells and open doors in hallways, tore through the 10-unit stucco apartment building at 760 Claim St.

Jose, his brother, Francisco Marcos Jr., and his parents, Francisco Sr. and Micaela Perez, died in the blaze, as did 35-year-old Christina Dominguez Navarro and her 8-month-old son Alex Gonzaga.

Marcela said Alvaro has been depressed since he heard the news.

“They were buddies, he was always with him,” Marcela said.

The visitation Thursday for the Marcoses drew hundreds of family, friends, classmates and city officials. Meanwhile, across town at The Daleiden Mortuary, the Dominguez-Gonzaga family also held a service for their deceased family members. A constant flow of visitors paid their respects.

But at the Marcos service, one onlooker in particular received added attention. The fire left 14-year-old Teodoro Perez without his brothers and parents. Teodoro escaped physical injury from the blaze after being hospitalized briefly.

“Teodoro, we are here with you, you are not alone,” the Rev. David Engbarth told him during the Spanish-language service. “Your family loves you a lot. We will take care of you.”

At the head of the room, four caskets lined the walls. Micaela was dressed in a wedding gown while the rest of the family lay in dark suits. Teodoro looked on in a gray tie, dark sunglasses and Chicago Bears hat with black slacks, occasionally looking down toward the floor in front of him.

As well-wishers paid their respects to the deceased, they walked past the immediate family. Most stopped by Teodoro, gave him words of encouragement and seemed to save the biggest hugs for the boy.

A woman who identified the boys as her nephews, but who later declined to give her name, described Francisco Jr., 6, as a dashing little boy who loved playing with his cousins and always liked to talk of his mother.

Micaela, she said, was always “very happy and always with a smile on her face.”

“Francisco and Micaela died trying to save their sons, just like we all would do,” she said. “Thank you for all the great memories.”

The somber occasion happened one day after officials announced that they still had not pinpointed the cause of the fire. However, they have said the fire was “not suspicious” and that it was likely caused by either an unattended candle or an electrical arc from an older television antenna.

The fire started in a first-floor apartment just past 4 a.m. Sunday and quickly spread. Fire officials say the building's stairwells, open doors and hallways created a “chimney effect,” essentially intensifying the blaze as it made its way up toward the top floor of the three-story building.

This trapped the victims and all six who died lived on the top floor. At least 24 people lived in the building.

A donation box was placed next to a family portrait at the service. Those interested in making donations are asked to visit an Old Second National Bank branch or Emanuel Baptist Church, at 742 Claim St., just two doors down from the home.

Additionally, Second Ward Alderwoman Juany Garza, whose ward includes the burned apartment said a fundraising dance would be held at The Alamo Ballroom in Aurora on June 3. Details were not yet available.

Rev. Engbarth said the outpouring of support from the community has built a stronger family for Teodoro, the 14-year-old whose family died in the fire.

“What a moment,” Engbarth said, softly. “There are no words to express the weight of this. A lot of people, in Aurora and in Chicago, are praying for you.”

“We don't have the words to comfort you in this period that seems so hopeless,” he said. “But you now have a family that is much bigger.”

That extended family, even before the family's death, included people like Alvaro, the 10-year-old who lost his pal.

After seeing Jose Marcos in a casket at the visitation, a teary eyed Alvaro said he and his pal liked kicking a soccer ball around.

“I just miss my friend,” he said.