Local
Rogers Park Mourns Four Family Members Lost in Townhome Fire
A candlelight vigil on North Paulina Street honored Maria Garcia, her daughter Marisa, and grandchildren Frankie and Valentino Vallejo, who died in an early-Thursday fire. Neighbors and a former teacher remembered them as loving and beloved as the cause remains under investigation.
ROGERS PARK â Candles and prayers filled the sidewalk outside a townhome on North Paulina Street, just off Greenleaf Avenue, on Saturday night as neighbors, friends, and school staff gathered to remember four family members killed in an early-Thursday morning fire.
The victims were identified as Maria Garcia, 69; her daughter, Marisa Garcia, 48; and Maria's grandchildren, Frankie Vallejo, 24, and Valentino Vallejo, 13. The family dog also died in the blaze.
Mourners described the family as loving, joyful, and deeply woven into the life of the block and the local school community. Among those who came to pay respects was Kathy Schaper, who taught Valentino â known to friends and family as "Tino" â in first and fifth grade at Kilmer Elementary School.
"When people say he was a sweet boy, he was the definition of a sweet boy. Like, not a mean bone in his body," Schaper said.
Schaper said the family was part of the fabric of the school. "They were just one of the families at our school that everyone appreciated and loved," she said.
Looking at the crowd gathered with candles, Schaper said the turnout itself spoke to who the family was. "Look around. It means that these people were well-loved and they were wonderful people, and this is a tragedy. And it shouldn't have happened," she said.
She added that the community is rallying around the surviving relatives. "It's devastating, and nobody can understand it. Like, why? Of all people? But if I know Tino right, he's looking down at everybody, and he's telling everybody, 'I'm ok. I'm going to get through this, and you are too,'" Schaper said.
The family of the victims is raising funds online to help cover funeral services, according to organizers.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No further details about the circumstances of the blaze were immediately available.
The vigil drew residents from across Rogers Park, a neighborhood that has repeatedly come together after losses in recent years. For many who attended, the gathering was less about answers than about presence â a chance to stand with a family that, as Schaper put it, everyone appreciated and loved.