A memorial fund has been created in the name of Silvia Umana and her youngest daughter, Guadelupe Perez, who both perished in a devastating fire in Richmond Hill on Sunday.
Perez was 7 years old and a second-grade student at Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy. Umana was 51.
The memorial fund, created by Patricia Winters, the principal of Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy in Richmond Hill, describes Perez as “vibrant” and “happy.”
“She was always smiling and was a friend to all,” Winters said on the GoFundMe page. “Both will be greatly missed.”
The fundraiser, with the goal of raising $75,000 for the funerals of both Umana and Perez, reached $12,000 a little less than 24 hours after it was created.
The fire started at 9:45 a.m. on July 21 at the two-story home on 117th Street just north of Atlantic Avenue, according to the Fire Department.
Two of Umana’s other children, Gilbert and Gabriel, were affected by the blaze. Gilbert is battling severe burns throughout his body, according to the memorial page. Gabriel, a former student at Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy, is in stable condition.
According to the Fire Department, the two-alarm fire was caused by a damaged air conditioner cord and was “accidental and electrical in nature.” A working fire alarm was not present in the apartment, according to the Fire Department.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the 911 call and brought the blaze under control around 10:50 a.m.
