Giovanna Cabrera: Woman who rescued her 2 children from burning home dies while trying to save her infant
HOUSTON, TEXAS: A Texas mother, who rescued her two children from a burning house, tragically lost her life after she went back to save her infant in a failed attempt as the child did not survive. According to a statement posted on X, the Houston Fire Department said that it responded to a home on Heaney Drive “after receiving reports of a house on fire" early Saturday morning, February 3.
Mayor John Whitmire said on social media that the mother, identified as 31-year-old Giovanna Cabrera, “rescued two of her children” from the blaze before going back to try and save her baby boy.
@HoustonFire is on scene at 218 Heaney performing extinguishment efforts after receiving reports of a house on fire. Unfortunately, two civilian fatalities were reported. No FF injuries reported. Please avoid the area due to heavy emergency traffic. @FireChiefofHFD
— Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) February 3, 2024
What did the authorities say?
The woman re-entered the home to try and “rescue her child from the flames,” but both died in the blaze, HFD Chief Samuel Peña said in a post on X. “Our prayers & condolences to the family🙏🏽,” the fire chief added. Besides the mother, police have identified the one-year-old son as Gabriel, according to ABC-affiliate KTRK-TV and CBS affiliate KHOU.
House fire resulted in tragic death of young mother & infant son as she reentered the home in attempt to rescue her child from the flames
— Chief Samuel Peña (@FireChiefofHFD) February 3, 2024
Our prayers & condolences to the family🙏🏽@HoustonFire crew reported heavy fire conditions on arrival. Cause&Origin investigation is ongoing https://t.co/b6aF9yYGFQ pic.twitter.com/TKseEghT0n
Crews said they found “heavy fire conditions” upon arriving at the scene Saturday morning, February 3. according to Pena. Footage of the blaze, shared by KHOU, shows flames shooting into the sky as they consume the home. The home appears to be almost completely charred in photos of the aftermath, shared by Pena.
What did Giovanna Cabrera's neighbor say?
One neighbor said she could hear children screaming in Spanish for help. “I heard banging on the door and kids crying for help,” Savannah Hernandez told KHOU, adding “They are little kids, and you just never know what could happen. They were barefooted.”
What did Giovanna Cabrera’s sister say?
Giselle Bueno, Giovanna’s sister, said her sister was found with her son in her arms, according to KTRK-TV. “I know that she had to save her babies,” she added, “like I can only imagine how scared she was.” Meanwhile, Giovanna's six-year-old and nine-year-old are now with their father, Bueno said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Giovanna Cabrera and her son Gabriel’s funeral costs
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to support Giovanna and Gabriel’s funeral costs. The remaining funds will go towards her surviving children and her parents who “lost everything in the home.”
As of Monday night, February 5, more than $22,000 has been raised through the fundraiser. An investigation into the fire is ongoing. The cause of the fire has not been released.
