SAINT PAUL, Minn. — On Saturday, the community gathered for a vigil to remember four children who died following a Jan. 3. house fire on Arkwright Street in Saint Paul.
"As a parent it is beyond understanding, it is beyond hard," a family spokesman told a crowd at the American Indian Magnet School.
Emergency crews were called to the Vang family's home in the middle of the night, while the father, Pa Cheng Vang, was at work.
Firefighters pulled seven people, six children and their mother, from the house.
A 1-year-old boy Muaj, 5-year-old twin girls Sivntxhi and Ntshiab Si, and a 4-year-old boy, Muaj Tshav Ntaj have died.
A family spokesperson said one of the remaining children in the hospital is getting better, but the other child and mother Ker Lor's progress has been stagnant.
Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also spoke at Saturday's vigil, saying "A city is a family of people that have to take care of one another."
Earlier that day, Saint Paul firefighters spoke about their experiences rescuing the family on the night of the fire.
"As I made my way back to the house, I found all these other victims that I wasn't aware of to that point," said one firefighter who was there that night. Others recounted the heavy smoke in the home, and many spoke about the struggle of returning to the house again and again to get the children to safety.
"They did everything they could, they did everything they could," said Saint Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks. "I couldn't be more proud to be your fire chief."
On Saturday, the firefighter's union announced a donation of $10,000 to the family.
Sixty-three first responders were on the scene that night. Fire investigators believe the blaze was sparked by an unattended candle.
The family started a GoFundMe account to pay for funeral expenses. As of Sunday morning, the account has raised more than $480,000.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.