Girl, 5, dies after house fire

ST. PAUL >> EAST SIDE

Others in family critically injured; fire called accidental

The aftermath of a fire in the 1200 block of Arkwright Street can be seen outside the home on Wednesday. After firefighters pulled seven people from the home and put out the fire, they checked to make sure the fire hadn’t extended elsewhere in the home. The overhaul process leads to items being taken outside. The home was boarded up afterward. MARA H. GOTTFRIED — PIONEER PRESS

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By Mara H. Gottfried

mgottfried@pioneerpress.com

The death of a 5-year-old girl after a fire in her St. Paul home, which also critically injured her mother and five siblings, has left her family and community members grief-stricken.

Pa Cheng Vang said he was at work when he was notified about the early Wednesday fire at his Payne-Phalen home. His wife and children, ages 1 to 6, had not been able to escape and firefighters carried them out of the smoke-filled house. They were all unconscious and first responders immediately gave them CPR and took them by ambulance to the hospital.

“Coming back from work with empty word(s) of emotion,” Vang wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for funeral expenses, saying he is asking “for a helping hand as it is expensive to hold a funeral.”The fire department confirmed Thursday that one person from the fire had died, and the police department said it was a 5-year-old girl who passed away Wednesday night at Regions Hospital; officials have not released her name. Vang wrote she was his oldest twin daughter.

Three of Vang’s other children “are at high risk of heart failure and brain death due to the high amount of smoke they” inhaled, Vang wrote. Their mother “is also at high risk of not recovering. Please help pray and hope that they all will make it.”

Two of Vang’s children “were able to get out of a critical zone, thank God,” he wrote.

He reminisced about them, writing he just had the “best time playing with my kids” and celebrating “a fresh New Year with my family together. I can’t believe it would be my last time I spent with my kids.”

Fire department: Blaze was accidental

Ramsey County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong, who represents the area, said Thursday “it has been very emotional for me as a parent with young children, too.”

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said in a statement. “I hope and pray that the rest of his family pull through and recover fully. In the meantime, the community is here for Mr. Vang, and I hope it’s a glimmer of hope for him during this dark and painful time.”

Xiong said she’s been in contact with St. Paul City Council members and mayor’s office staff “and will be working closely with them to ensure that we do everything we can to prevent tragedies like these from happening again.”

The fire department determined the fire on Arkwright Street near Maryland Avenue was accidental and the cause is under investigation, said Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.

Firefighters were notified at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. A 911 call was believed to have come from inside the residence.

There were working smoke detectors in the home, but the occupants were likely unable to escape because of the location of the fire on the first floor and because one adult was alone with six children, Mokosso said Wednesday.

The fire chief called the actions of firefighters “heroic” and credited them for their quick response time.

The St. Paul firefighters’ union wrote on social media Thursday that their “work doesn’t stop when we put the fire out. Please join the women and men of Saint Paul Firefighters IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) Local 21 and consider making a donation to support the Vang family in the wake of their tragic losses.”

Vang wrote he is the sole person supporting his family and said he’s appreciative of “everyone for helping.”