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As Francis Tran knocked on the door of a home on Houston’s north side, a chihuahua with more bark than bite circled his feet, agitated that the city firefighter didn’t seem to be paying attention to him.
Receiving no answer, Tran looped a plastic bag on the door handle. Inside were instructions on how to get free smoke detectors installed by Houston firefighters, as well as ways to protect yourself in the event of a fire.
Tran and a handful of other Houston firefighters fanned out Tuesday across a portion of the Latino-majority Northside/Northline neighborhood, informing residents of potential dangers following the deaths of their neighbors — 31-year-old Giovanna Cabrera Lopez and her 1-year-old son — in a blaze over the weekend.
City officials said Cabrera Lopez died after going back inside her Heaney Drive house to rescue the infant after successfully retrieving her 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
FIRE SAFETY TIPS
Houston Fire Department officials outlined several steps that residents should take to prevent and prepare for fires.
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in each bedroom, hallway and all living areas. There should be at least one smoke alarm on each floor of your home, including in the basement.
- Check detectors at least once a month, and change batteries right away once the detectors begin to chirp.
- Inspect fire extinguishers at least once every two months, and make sure they are accessible and not placed in the back of cabinets or behind objects.
- Put escape ladders in each upper-level bedroom.
- Design an escape plan, and have a designated meeting place outside your home so everyone can be accounted for.
- If you make it out of the house before others do, do not go back inside. Wait until firefighters arrive and tell them where in the house they can find others.
Houston Fire Department administrators and staff typically canvass neighborhoods following fires that result in injury or death, while the department’s Public Affairs Team regularly door-knocks in underserved neighborhoods to stress the importance of working smoke detectors and creating an escape plan, Chief Samuel Peña said.
The department reported five civilian deaths and 27 injuries related to fires in 2021, the most recent year with available data.
“Our job is to ensure that our community feels safe, especially after a tragedy like what occurred last weekend,” said Peña, who joined the outreach effort Tuesday. “We want to do our part to ensure that they have the information, tools and support to be safe in their homes.”
The close-knit community, located about 20 minutes north of downtown Houston, has spent the past several days grieving the deaths of Cabrera Lopez and her son — and making plans of action.
As she stood Tuesday outside the charred, single-story home where her sister lived for the past decade, Cabrera Lopez’s sister, Giselle Bueno, marveled at the outpouring of support for her family. Bueno said her quiet, reserved sister would be stunned by the $37,000 raised as of Tuesday afternoon through GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses and support Cabrera Lopez’s two surviving children.
“She doesn’t even know how many people loved her and how many people are reaching out and donating,” Bueno said.
Bueno, who is looking after her sister’s children, said her niece isn’t talking too much, relying on her older brother to explain things to her.
Frank Zapata, who lives just around the corner from Heaney Drive, spoke with firefighters for a few minutes after opening his door on Tuesday. After learning about the fire, Zapata sat his four children down and together they sketched out a plan for how to escape a fire. He told them to try to get out as quickly as they could, and to not come back into the house if they made it out before him and his wife.
“It’s horrible. I can’t even imagine going through that,” he said.
For Jesus Marinelarena, who lives about a 10-minute walk from Heaney Drive, the fatal fire served as a reminder to stay vigilant in keeping his home safe. Marinelarena’s daughter used to hang out with Cabrera Lopez’s kids, and they regularly saw each other at neighborhood get-togethers, he said.
“Once I hear one alarm, I change all of my batteries,” Marinelarena said. “I’m not waiting to hear another one.”
The precautions taken by Zapata and Marinelarena match what Houston firefighters preach.
If you make it out of the house before others do, do not go back inside. Wait until firefighters arrive and tell them where in the house they can find your friends or family.
Houston Fire Department arson investigators work at the scene of a house fire that killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, in north Houston. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) A memorial for Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, seen on Feb. 6, 2024. The mother and son died when their north Houston home caught fire over the weekend. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) The Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran, Carla Goffney and Ronald Harrison prepare routes to door knock and distribute information about a free smoke alarm program and fire safety, to residents on Feb. 6 in the Northline neighborhood in Houston. A house fire in the same neighborhood killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, over the weekend. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran, Carla Goffney and Mario Gallegos go house to house, distributing information about fire safety and a free smoke alarm program, to residents on February 6, 2024 in the Northline neighborhood in north Houston. A house fire in the same neighborhood killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, over the weekend. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston firefighter Ronald Harrison distributes information about fire safety and a free smoke alarm program to residents on February 6, 2024 in the Northline neighborhood in north Houston. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran distributes information about fire safety and a free smoke alarm program to Froylan Ponce and other residents on Feb. 6 in the Northline neighborhood in north Houston. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña talks with journalists about the house fire that killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, in north Houston. “Our job is to ensure that our community feels safe, especially after a tragedy like what occurred last weekend,” he said. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña hugs Carla Goffney as he greets a team of fire department employees who canvassed a portion of Houston’s Northline neighborhood to stress the importance of fire safety to residents. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran distributes information about fire safety and a free smoke alarm program to residents on February 6, 2024 in the Northline neighborhood in north Houston. A house fire in the same neighborhood killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, over the weekend. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Ernest Botello talks with Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran, and tears up thinking about Giovanna Cabrera and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, who died in a house fire in his neighborhood over the weekend. Their deaths have been very upsetting to him, he told Houston firefighters as they canvassed the streets near the burnt down home in effort to make sure families had working smoke detectors and a fire safety plan. “These will save your life,” Mr. Botello said. He told firefighters that he once fell asleep with boiling chickpeas on his stove — a smoke detector woke him up before the incident became dangerous. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Ernest Botello tears up thinking about Giovanna Cabrera and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, who died in a house fire in his neighborhood over the weekend. Their deaths have been very upsetting to him, he told Houston firefighters as they canvassed the streets near the burnt down home in effort to make sure families had working smoke detectors and a fire safety plan. “These will save your life,” Mr. Botello said. He told firefighters that he once fell asleep with boiling chickpeas on his stove — a smoke detector woke him up before the incident became dangerous. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno) Houston Fire Department’s Francis Huy Tran distributes information about fire safety and a free smoke alarm program to residents on February 6, 2024 in the Northline neighborhood in north Houston. A house fire in the same neighborhood killed Giovanna Cabrera, 31, and her one-year-old son, Gabriel Peña, over the weekend. (Meridith Kohut for Abdelraoufsinno)
The Houston Fire Department recommends outfitting each level of a home with smoke detectors. The devices should be installed in bedrooms and in hallways, Peña said.
“Early detection, early warning is the key to fire safety,” he added.
If you cannot afford smoke detectors, call 832-394-6633 and firefighters will come to your home and install them for free. Peña said firefighters planned to install at least two dozen in Northside/Northline on Tuesday.
Another recommendation: Make sure escape ladders are in each upper-level bedroom and a working fire extinguisher is in the kitchen, the room where most fires start, Houston firefighter Mario Gallegos said. A common misconception of extinguishers is that they have enough foaming agent to fight a large fire, he said. Rather, extinguishers are rather meant to conquer small fires and carve a path out of a home that’s fully engulfed.
Should the time come to escape, crawl underneath the smoke to avoid inhaling it, Gallegos said.
Freelance photographer Meridith Kohut contributed to this report.
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