Space heater started fire that killed 7-year-old North Texas girl, investigators say
VALLEY VIEW, Texas - Investigators have determined the cause of a fire that killed a 7-year-old North Texas girl last week.
On Wednesday, the Cooke County Fire Marshal determined the preliminary cause of the fire was a space heater inside of Delena Zuniga's bedroom.
Delena's family wants her remembered as the girl who was always making funny faces and cracking jokes, especially around her mother and father.
Delena died in a house fire at the family's home in Valley View, located 54 miles north of Fort Worth, last Thursday.
Her parents and two of her brothers were injured.
The two boys returned to the Parkland Burn Unit on Wednesday to get their wounds checked out.
"It's hard. It's really hard, I think, for Henry to wrap his head around it," said Savannah Darby, Delena's aunt.
She says 11-year-old Henry, 9-year-old Niko and their dad, Roger, were badly burned trying to get to Delena, who was trapped in her bedroom.
"Henry and Niko had to pass Delena's room to get out. Henry sustained more burns than Niko because Henry went back in with Roger to try and get Delena out," Darby said.
Darby previously told FOX 4 the family of eight routinely used space heaters during freezing temperatures because their rented trailer did not have central heat.
"If you're going to go to sleep, unfortunately, you need to turn the space heater off. Turn that heat source off, because the last thing you want to do is wake up to a house that is on fire," said Cook County Fire Marshal Ray Fletcher.
Fletcher said the investigation determined there were no working smoke alarms in the trailer either.
"We caution all the time, especially during the winter, to be very careful with alternative heat sources," he said.
Delena's dad also sustained severe burns on his leg trying to get into his daughter's bedroom.
Delena will be laid to rest on Friday. Her family got her a custom casket to fit her silly personality.
"It's LOL dolls and Barbie and makeup and things like that. Things that she loved," said Darby. "It's hard, you know, she's just a baby, and you want to pull her 7 years into one day, and it's really hard."
The family is staying with another sister right now until they can find a new home.
Darby says the family wants to stay in Valley View because they don't want to pull the children out of their environment.
Darby said the new home must have central heat and working smoke alarms.