'Had The Biggest Heart': Widow Remembers Wife, Son Killed In Fire
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A family in Aurora is spending their Thanksgiving without a home after a devastating fire claimed two of their loved ones' lives.
Janelle Vargas was killed in last week's fire. Her 32-year-old son, Gabriel, died after trying to save her.
Last Wednesday, the early morning fire tore through the Vargas family home near Peoria Street and East 7th Avenue, destroying everything in its path.
John Vargas and his four sons were able to escape. His wife, Janelle, was in the shower.
"Immediately, when you open the door, the smoke was so thick, you couldn't see walls," said Vargas. "You couldn't see anything, but I had to get in. I kept yelling for her and yelling for her. It wasn't going to happen."
When Vargas couldn't get to her, his son Gabriel went back in to try and help.
"He ran back in and he wasn't about to quit," said Vargas.
Janelle didn't make it out.
"My wife was 4-foot-7, a tiny little woman, but had the biggest heart in the world that made her seem like she was 6-feet-tall."
Gabriel was left in critical condition after trying to go back in and save her. He was taken off life support over the weekend.
"He would tell his mother so many times, 'I'd die for you, Mom,'" said Vargas. "Ironically it came to pass that he died trying to save his mother he loved so much."
While it may be their first Thanksgiving apart, Vargas says they'll always be together.
"They're both going to be there, her and my son are definitely going to be there," Vargas said. "They'll never be forgotten that's for sure."
Friends and family have set up two separate GoFundMe pages to help the family with funeral costs as they look for a new place to live.
Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.
