A Colorado mother-of-three heroically passed away while saving two of her children when a ravaging fire erupted at their apartment complex on Oct. 29 shortly before midnight.
Lilian Esperanza Castro was asleep with her family at their apartment on N. Galena Street, Aurora when her husband’s nephew called them about the blaze.
Castro’s husband Jose Omar Benegas managed to save his 2-year-old daughter by dropped her from a third-floor window when flames blocked all paths.
The father then followed the toddler and waited for his two sons and wife to jump down as well. The 8 and 14-year-old boys were thrown by Castro who sadly perished before joining her family.
At least 13 residents of the apartment complex needed emergency treatment at the scene. The building was so damaged that it became inhabitable.
Nearly 60 people had to be displaced following the blaze. Authorities ruled Castro’s death a homicide and determined that the fire was an arson carried by a still unidentified suspect.
Detectives released photos of a person in the hallway of the building, carrying a backpack and two large sacks, and offered $5,000 as a reward for information.
