Victim in St. Paul house fire identified as Siv Ntshiab Vang, 5
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The victim in the St. Paul house fire that sent a mother and her six children to the hospital has been identified as 5-year-old Siv Ntshiab Vang.
Crews were dispatched to the home on the 1200 block of Arkwright Street North in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The seven victims were inside the home and unconscious.
They were all taken to the hospital in critical condition. Siv Ntshiab Vang died of her injuries on Thursday.
According to the father's online post, she was the oldest twin daughter in the family.
Then, he updated the page again, saying, "I just received heartbreaking news from the doctor. Two of my children won't make it in the next 24 hours. One child has a 50-50 chance to survive. The mom is also at high risk of not recovering." St. Paul police did not confirm that the second child had died.
The memorial, now adorned with stuffed animals, flowers and photos, continues to grow outside the home where a mother and her six children were all badly hurt by the fire.
"Just seeing the home, I feel really bad for the dad," said Kia Lo.
It all hits too close to home for Lo, who grew up nearby.
"I have kids of my own and I can't even start to imagine how he feels right now," said Lo. "The kids are so little, they're just babies. I think that's what hurts the most."
"It's beyond words, the tragedy," said May yer Thao with Hmong American Partnership.
Hmong American Partnership is a social services organization that serves 25,000 Hmong and Southeast Asian individuals each year.
"You never think about anything like this happening, much less to children," said Thao.
Thao has looked on as funds have been pouring in for the six children and their mother, now totaling more than $170 thousand.
"What has been very heartwarming and gives me hope in humankind and humanity, is the fact that so many have really wanted to see how they can help," said Thao.
A lot of that fundraising will be going toward funeral expenses. Hmong funerals can cost $50,000 or more.
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"The high-end range is even close to $100,000," said Cheng Va Vue, a Council Member with the Hmong 18 Council.
When tragedy strikes the Hmong community, the Hmong 18 Council provides support.
Group members said they hope to collaborate with the St. Paul Fire Department to help prevent future tragedies.
"To educate the community and what are some of the safety ways that we can come together and learn the resources, so we can prevent future tragic events like this," said Dr. Brian Xiong, Program Director for Hmong 18 Council.
The fire is under investigation, but officials say it does not appear suspicious.
Editor's note: A previous version of the story utilized the spelling of the victim's name as provided by St. Paul Police. The story has been updated to reflect how family members spell Siv Ntshiab Vang's name.
