Funeral for 6 of 10 children killed in Little Village fire: 'I hope that the tragedy...never happens again'

A casket with one of the Little Village fire victims is carried out of Our Lady Of Tepeyac church on September 1, 2018. | Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

Six white caskets arranged in a semi-circle stood in front of the altar at Our Lady of Tepeyac in Little Village on Saturday morning, holding six of the 10 victims of last weekend’s house fire — the smallest for Amaya Almaraz, only 3 months old, lying at the center.

More than 200 community residents, friends, and family members — many bearing white t-shirts airbrushed with the names of the deceased — came to pay respects to the deceased at the historic Catholic church just two blocks away from the site of the horrific blaze.

Laid to rest on Saturday were siblings Nathan Contreras, 13; Cesar Contreras, 14; Xavier Contreras, 11; Ariel Garcia, 5; and Amaya; and their cousin Adrian Hernandez, 14. The children were at a sleepover on the second floor of a two-bedroom house at 2224 S. Sacramento when the fire broke out early Aug. 26.

The Rev. Alberto Rojas called the tragedy a “blackout” — a sudden event that “left us shocked as a community.”

“The death of these angels is something all of a sudden,” Rojas said. “We all feel it . . . and we have to comfort one another and support one another.”

Family and friends of the Little Village fire victims, as well as media, stand outside Our Lady Of Tepeyac church as the hearses carrying the victims drive away on September 1, 2018. | Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

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Family and friends of the Little Village fire victims gather outside of Our Lady Of Tepeyac church following funeral services on September 1, 2018. | Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

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Family and friends watch as the caskets with victims from the Little Village fire are carried out of Our Lady Of Tepeyac church on September 1, 2018. | Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

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A father of one of the Little Village fire victims takes a break at the funeral services for six of the victims at Our Lady Of Tepeyac church on September 1, 2018. | Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

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Giovanni Ayala was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Amaya Almarez was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Victor Mendoza was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Alani Ayala was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Xavier Contreras was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Ariel Ayala was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Nathen Contreras was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Gialanni Ayala was one of 10 children who died in a fire early Sunday in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue in Little Village. | Sun-Times photo by Ashlee Rezin of family photo on display at memorial

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Cesar Contreras | Family photo

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Adrian Hernandez | Family photo

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Saturday’s memorial service was the first of three for the victims. Funerals for the four additional victims — siblings Giovanni Ayala, 10; Gialanni Ayala, 5; and Alanni Ayala, 3; and friend Victor Mendoza, 16 — will take place next week, according to the community group Enlace Chicago.

Tensions briefly flared in the middle of the services, and police were called to break up a dispute between two men that drew a large crowd outside the church. The encounter later ended in a handshake.

Those closest to the victims have convened at the fire site all week, where residents have planted a garden in honor of the children on the front lot of the house.

A memorial remains in front of a three-story apartment building in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue on Wednesday. A fire in a second-story apartment behind this building claimed the lives of 10 children. Eight died Sunday, another on Monday and the final victim died at Stroger Hospital on Tuesday. | Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times

Eric Muniz, a former classmate of Cesar Contreras at Gerald Delgado Kanoon Elementary Magnet School, said he didn’t visit the garden during the week. He attended Saturday’s memorial to show his friend one last act of loyalty.

“I wasn’t Cesar’s best friend, but we were close. We had a lot of moments, just us two,” Muniz said. “I’m here to show that I was here for him, always.”

Community members with no direct ties to the children also came out to pay respects. Some came from farther away, saying they were moved to attend after learning about the gravity of the tragedy.

Imelda Arias said she traveled from Berwyn at 7 a.m.

“I hope that the tragedy that happened here in this community never happens again,” she said in Spanish.

As the caskets were rolled out of the church, family and friends formed a privacy barrier along with the help of a few cars that stopped, allowing the family a chance to say a final goodbye free of the media frenzy.

Juan Contreras, father of four of the deceased, declined to comment Saturday. Earlier in the week, Contreras said it was hard to process the tragedy.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Contreras said then. “There are no words to explain how I’m feeling right now. I feel empty.”

Carlos Ballesteros is a corps member in Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of issues affecting Chicago’s South and West sides.”