The two children who survived a fire in the Mount Hope area suffered extensive burns and are in need of costly surgeries, a family member says.
Three-year-old Esmeralda and 5-year-old Luis were so badly burned in the fire on Monday that they have been placed in medically induced comas. Their 12-year-old brother, Fernando Castro, was killed in the blaze.
The fire started inside a home in the Mount Hope community just after midnight, trapping the three children inside.
Esmeralda suffered burns over 40 to 50 percent of her body and was in surgery on Friday. Luis “Junior” suffered burns over 70 to 80 percent of his body, his cousin Ramon Vasquez told NBC 7.
Vasquez said the two will undergo surgeries over the next few days and the doctors will evaluate when to bring them out of the comas next week.
The kids’ cosmetic surgeries are expected to be well over $30,000, the amount raised so far by donors through a GoFundMe page.
The family does not yet know what the surgery costs.
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There are several online fundraising accounts set up to help the family handle memorial and medical costs as well as replace their belongings:
Help Raise Money for Juanitas Kids