A 6-year-old girl remains on a ventilator after a fire tore through her North Lauderdale home over the weekend, killing her grandmother.
Read more George Pino found not guilty in 2022 deadly boat crash near Boca Chita Key
The fire happened Saturday morning in the 8000 block of Southwest 8th Court. Neissa Dilligence is now fighting for her life, but her grandmother did not survive.
“When she was pulled from the home, she was not responsive. And due to that, the brain did not receive enough oxygen,” said her uncle, Lloyd Smith.
Neighbors had rushed to help as flames consumed the house, which had eight people inside.
“It was 6 o’clock in the morning. There was a fire at the house,” said the child’s godfather, Basil Pierre. “As soon as I got the call, I jumped up, jumped in my car, and drove over.”
The family said her brother tried everything to get all family members out, burning his own body as he ran into the flames multiple times to help his other siblings to safety.
Read more Man stabbed during armed robbery in Lauderhill, police say
Those who know Neissa say she’s the kind of child who brightens every room she enters.
“She is sunshine. She’s the light in the room,” Pierre said. “You can be in any kind of mood, and she will cheer you up.”
The fire destroyed nearly everything the family owned.
“The only thing they escaped with was the clothes on their backs,” Smith said. “Everything is gone.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“With the fact that a grandmother, mom and friend was lost, that’s one funeral. Hopefully we don’t have to plan for a second funeral for a child,” Smith said.
Read more Senate set to pass bipartisan housing bill aimed at raising supply, lowering prices