Giovanna Cabrera and her one-year-old son, Gabriel, died in a tragic house fire in Houston. The mother saved her two children, but the flames and smoke left her and her son trapped. The family has received much support from the community as they navigate this significant loss.

A house fire in Houston, Texas, claimed the lives of a 31-year-old mother of three, Giovanna Cabrera, and her 1-year-old son, Gabriel, on February 3, 2024.

Giovanna managed to save two of her children, aged six and nine, and went back for her one-year-old son but never made it out. Her sister, Giselle Bueno, said the flames and smoke left her sister stuck. “I know that she had to save her babies, like I can only imagine how scared she was,” said Bueno.

When the first responders arrived at the scene, the home was already severely damaged. The power lines were down, and flames were so strong that the firefighters could not enter the home. It was even difficult for them to determine the structure of the house.

One witness said they started hearing children yelling for help in Spanish at about 05:00 a.m. When she went outside, she saw children running toward the neighbors in the rain without shoes. To her shock, she was met with the house across her in flames.

Bueno was completely devastated by the loss her family had suffered, but she praised her late sister for her courage. “She had him in her arms like the baby, so I know she tried. I know if she could’ve. She would have made it out,” she said. She also revealed that the two surviving children were with their father.

The family has received a lot of support from the community. Jaime Garcia, a pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, invited the congregation to help Bueno’s family. The surviving children and their aunt were given clothes, money, and gifts.

The pastor expressed that the least the church could do is provide the family with as much support as possible as they try to navigate this tragic loss. “The church is here, family and friends, and that is for one reason: to encourage this family during this very tragic time in their life that none of us can understand,” he said.

Bueno was in absolute awe of how much the community had done for her and her family. “It is really nice to see how important she was and how everyone sees her as she was because she was a hero.” she candidly expressed.

Mayor John Whitmire also expressed his condolences in a Facebook post and asked people to pray for the family. “We are working to make sure this family has the support they need in their time of grief. I thank our first responders for their work assisting with the investigation.” he wrote.

Firefighters are still investigating what triggered the fire but advised that people should never attempt to go back into a burning house once they have escaped. However, officials empathized with Giovanna and understood she was in a difficult situation.

The fire left Giovanna’s children without a mother and home; therefore, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral costs. The rest of the money will be put towards the kids’ needs, as well as assisting Giovanna’s parents, who also lost everything in the house fire.

The family expressed their gratitude to anyone who made a donation. So far, the page has raised $38,949, and 750 people have made donations.