Three sisters die in apartment fire Thursday

By Jerry Sena & Marie Freeman

jtsena@wataugademocrat.com, freeman@wataugademocrat.com

The father of three young girls who perished in a Boone apartment fire last week is out of the hospital, but a friend said the girls’ mother has been forced to grieve without the aid of family, who live thousands of miles away in Mexico.

Elizabeth Shukis said Lorena Flores “is in need of prayer more than anybody,” as she struggles to cope with the deaths of her three daughters, Clarita “Clara” Cid Flores, 5; Anadacy “Dacy” Cid Flores, 6, and Lilianna Cid Flores, 8.

“Her mother is in Mexico and is not here to help her through her grief,” said Shukis, whose husband, Andrew, has for the past three years employed the girls' father as a lead worker with A.S. Construction.

Lazaro Rodriguez was released Friday afternoon from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

He suffered severe burns to his face, as well as smoke inhalation — injuries sustained attempting to defy intense flames in trying to reach the girls in a back bedroom.

The family’s Clyde Townsend Road apartment, west of Boone, was almost completely gutted by the fire.

Investigators have not pinned down when the fire started, but fire officials said they'd extinguished the flames less than 10 minutes after Watauga County Sheriff's deputies spotted smoke and flames at the scene, about 11:25 Thursday night.

Witnesses said Lorena Flores escaped through a side window with her 14-month-old son in her arms. They were treated at Watauga Medical Center and released the same morning.

County fire marshal Lisa Danner said Monday that investigators had not yet identified the cause of the fire. She said they believed it had started in the living room. A State Bureau of Investigation arson expert is also working on the case, though Danner said arson was not a likely cause.

Danner said the investigation had not yet determined whether working smoke detectors were present in the home.

Shukis described the three sisters as “wonderful little girls, with long beautiful hair – always smiling.”

She said her family had befriended the Flores-Rodriguez family, and called Rodriquez a “great worker” who'd gained her husband's confidence.

Sometimes, she said, they would invite the whole family out to lunch.

“They were always dressed to the nines and well mannered. We took them to [Country Retreat] Family Billiards in Foscoe and they were just like [any] children, wanting quarters to play the games.”

Five-year-old Clarita had just started her first year in a Cove Creek School kindergarten class. Her older sisters, Dacy and Lilianna were in first and second grades, respectively.

Schools superintendent Dr. Bobbie Short said counselors met with students throughout the school Friday morning.

Lilianna's second-grade class went through with a planned field trip to Appalachian State University's Farthing Auditorium, but met with school counselors before leaving.

One witness said a school bus slowed as it always had to pick up the girls at the corner of the N.C. 105 Bypass and Clyde Townsend Road on Friday morning. The bus driver and students were met with a confusing scene as the apartment building continued to smolder nearly seven hours after the blaze, and emergency personnel and bystanders crowded the road.

Counselors  sent home a letter with students advising parents how to address any emotional issues that might arise with the children over the weekend.

Shukis said the surviving Flores-Rodriguez family members would move into a new home after the girls' funeral Tuesday.

But, she said,  the fire had destroyed all their possessions. “They need everything,” Shukis said.

She expressed hope the support would show not only the Rodriguez family but all area Hispanics that they are an integral part of the High Country family.

“We value them here as much as we do anyone else,” she said.

“I consider them a branch of my own family. They have a special place in Boone.”

A memorial account has been opened at AF Bank to receive contributions toward helping the family. A bank official said donations may be mailed or hand-delivered to any AF Bank branch in the name of “The Rodriguez Family Account.”

Donations may also be mailed to “Cid-Flores Family, 129 Clyde Townsend Rd., Apt. 12, Boone, N.C., 28607.

How you can help the fire victims

The apartment fire last Thursday night that killed three young sisters and injured their mother, father, and 14-month-old brother, also displaced at least 15 other tenants of the eight-unit apartment building, according to a Red Cross official tasked with providing aid to the victims.

Watauga County Red Cross director Sonny Sweet said he was on the scene at 1 a.m. Friday, coordinating alternate housing arrangements for victims left homeless by the blaze.

Sweet said the building's owner, Tommy Sofield, is working with Harold Tilley of Appalachian Management Service to find permanent housing for those left homeless by the fire.

Sofield, owner of U.S. Steel Buildings, in Boone, has been unavailable for comment.

Sweet said the displaced residents had been housed at the Boone Holiday Inn Express over the weekend.

Another Red Cross employee, Lynn Norwood, said she believed nearly all the displaced tenants had been relocated to new permanent housing as of Monday morning.

Twelve of the 15 displaced residents are Hispanic, Sweet said, as are the family of six injured in the fire, creating a language gap between his office and the victims. He said one of the residents was fluent in English, and calls were coming in from community members offering to provide translation services.

Norwood said the best way to help the victims is by cash or check.

“We don't have storage facilities (for material donations),” she said.

To be sure any financial contributions go to aid victims of the fire, Norwood said donations should be noted as being specifically for the “apartment fire.”

The mailing address for the Boone office of the American Red Cross is 331 Queen St., Boone, NC, 28607.