- Credibility:
LITTLE VILLAGE — Funeral services have been announced for six of the 10 children who died in a tragic fire in Little Village last weekend.
On Saturday, services will be held from 10 a.m.-noon. at Our Lady of Tepeyac Church, 2226 S. Whipple St.
Enlace Chicago, a nonprofit organization based out of Little Village announced the memorial services for Nathan Contreras, Cesar Contreras, Xavier Contreras, Ariel Garcia, Amayah Almaraz, and Adrian Hernandez in a Facebook post.
The organization said they had been helping the family to raise money to cover the cost for the funeral services of the 10 children from four families.
“Enlace is focused on offering the love, healing, and assistance families need to process the transition of their loved ones. Numerous partner organizations are supporting these efforts, financially and through their critical work with families,” the post read.
The fire was Chicago’s deadliest in more than 40 years, killing 10 children between the ages of 16 and 3 months early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue.
The children have been identified as three-month-old Amayah Almaraz, three-year old Alanni Ayala, five-year old Gialanni Ayala, five-year-old Ariel Garcia, 10-year-old Giovanni Ayala, 11-year-old Xavier Contreras, 13-year-old Nathan Contreras, 14-year-old Adrian Hernandez, 14-year-old Cesar Contreras, and 16-year-old Victor Mendoza.
The fire began in the rear of the building and spread to the front. Fire officials originally said no smoke detectors were found in the building, but on Wednesday the department said it had found a smoke detector at the scene — but it didn’t function because it didn’t have a working battery.
The cause of the fire has been classified as “undetermined” for now, according to the Fire Department.
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Following the tragic fire, Enlace Chicago launched a GoFundMe campaign Sunday to help families cover the costs of funerals and burials. The Enlace fundraiser, which seek to raise $100,000, has raised more than $34,000 as of Friday afternoon.
