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<\/p>\nA California mom will never again see her six children tear open presents by the tree on Christmas morning.<\/p>\n
Only 10 days before Christmas, two of her \u201ccherished angels,\u201d ages 2 and 7, were killed when a fire sparked by the same tree they decorated only days before, ripped through their home.<\/p>\n
On December 14, just before 7 p.m., a fire ripped through a Southern California home, trapping inside 2-year-old Aalijah and her 7-year-old sister, Annie.<\/p>\n
Their parents, Charmon and Akeem Isom did everything they could to save their babies.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou run, and you try to do as much as you can,\u201d Charmon told FOX 11 Los Angeles. \u201cBust windows, run in, try and get in, try and get under the fire. I have (first-degree) burns on my feet from trying to get in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Barstow Fire\u2019s social media, firefighters arrived in about three minutes of receiving multiple reports of children trapped in the fiery Barstow City home, that was engulfed in flames and heavy smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirefighters jumped through two separate bedroom windows to locate and rescue the trapped children,\u201d the department writes in a release. \u201cThey successfully handed the children out of the windows to Barstow Police Officers, who rushed them to waiting ambulances.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for Aalijah, it was too late.
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<\/p>\n
The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene. Her big sister Annie was airlifted to the UC Irvine burn facility in Orange County, where after a week-long battle, her parents let her go, ending her suffering. Little Annie\u2019s organs were donated.<\/p>\n
Parents suffering begins
\nCalling the incident an \u201cunthinkable nightmare,\u201d Charmon writes in the GoFundMe created to pay for the girls\u2019 funerals and to help the family find a new home: \u201cA relentless fire stole away the lives of our two cherished angels \u2013 Aalijah, a tender 2-year-old baby girl, and Little Annie, a vibrant 7-year-old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur family\u2019s bond was a tapestry of love, inseparable and woven with unconditional affection. Baby Aalijah, the youngest and the heart of the family, was a joyful, beautiful baby girl,\u201d Expressing gratitude to the fire department that she called \u201ca beacon of hope,\u201d Charmon continues, \u201cLittle Annie, a vivacious spirit, had an affinity for TikTok, adding a touch of joy and laughter to [her siblings] lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking a vigil on December 23, the children\u2019s father Akeem spoke to the community who gathered in support.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no amount of money, there\u2019s no amount of valuables that can bring back my children,\u201d he shared. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing that can bring back the happy times that I spent with my child. Both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
While an exact cause of fire is not yet determined, ABC7 reports the family didn\u2019t realize there was no smoke detector in the home, causing them to haphazardly exit when they saw flames flying from the Christmas tree.
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<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like you heard an alarm system and you try to get everybody out, like hey, hey let\u2019s go,\u201d Charmon told the news outlet. \u201cNo, we didn\u2019t have a warning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorities say the Barstow Police Department and the San Bernardino County Arson Investigators are investigating the cause of the blaze.<\/p>\n
On December 27, Charmon shared a Facebook post, saying: \u201cnever ever have I felt this empty.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Burning-House-FI-1201x530-1-300x132.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
We send out thoughts and best wishes to the family of little Aalijah and Annie. We\u2019re sure Christmas will never be the same again and we hope the family finds some peace in the memories they created with two children in their short lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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