Days after a fire ripped through a building in Springfield, Massachusetts, killing a woman and seriously hurting another person, police are looking for a person who was seen in the area.
The mother of the woman who died, a recent high school graduate, and another woman who was seriously injured and remained at Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday spoke exclusively to Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra about the pain she was experiencing.
"My baby is never going to drive, she is never going to be a mother," Michelle Quiles said of her daughter, Janayrah Rivera, 18.
The deadly fire was reported about 5:15 a.m. Monday, and two people were trapped inside, according to Springfield police. The woman died in the fire, while the other victim was resuscitated by rescue personnel and flown to a Boston hospital, WWLP has reported. Their names were not publicly released.
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Springfield police asked anyone who recognizes the person of interest or who lives near Grover Street and has surveillance video showing a person walking between 4 and 7 a.m. Monday to call them. The black-and-white image of the person of interest showed someone wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a backpack, though officials noted that the person may appear to be wearing different clothes on other footage.
People who live within several blocks of the intersection of Liberty and Carew streets were asked to check their surveillance cameras.
Quiles and her sister said they believe the fire would have started in the area of the entrance of the house, on the porch, but that the cause should still be under investigation.
Quiles said she was not at home at the time of the incident, but her daughters and son were. Daughter Jamaiyah and Ricardo were there asleep but able to get out, but Janayrah, the youngest, whom they affectionately called "Nany," didn't make it.
"My son had to climb out of the window to be able to live," Quiles said, adding that her daughter remained in the ICU Thursday. "She had her first surgery, she is going to have four more. She is going to be here until next month."
Quiles' sister, Jessica Quiles, added that the family wants justice for what happened.
The investigation was being conducted by Springfield police, including the arson and bomb squad; the Hampden District Attorney's Office; and state fire officials.
