Raul Davila was at home early Sunday when Aurora police came to his door to say his nephew had been rushed to a hospital.
A fast-moving fire had torn through the apartment where the 14-year-old boy lived with his family. But the officers would not say whether the boy's family had died.
Davila would soon learn that the boy, Teodoro, was the only member of his family to survive. The boy's father Francisco Marcos, mother Micaela Perez and brothers Jose Francisco and Francisco Jr. were among six people who died in the fire.
Davila and a family friend, Juan Delreal, spoke to the boy at Provena Mercy Center.
"Only one person is left, a child," Delreal said. "At his age it's going to be very hard for him to understand that he won't be able to see his parents and brothers," said Delreal. "It's going to be a hard life for him."
Davila and Delreal said the boy told them that when he woke up Sunday morning, he opened the door and saw the fire and smoke and tried to escape.
He managed to get out, but Teodoro lost track of his family and was left wondering what happened to them. As of Sunday afternoon, the boy had not been told that they had died.
"He didn't know where is his mom, where is his dad, where are his brothers," Delreal said.
Davila said his wife Rosa spoke with Micaela Perez, her sister, Saturday at about 10:30 p.m. The two families see each other frequently and had Sunday dinner together at the Marcos' home last week.
"They are a nice family," Davila said.
Another family member, Rafael Amaro, 29, said Francisco and his wife Micaela came from Mexico about seven years ago. He said they worked in a restaurant together and were hard-working people.
He said his nephew Francisco Jr. was a typical boy who loved to play with cars while his other nephew, Jose Francisco was quieter. "He liked to read and study," Amaro said.
The children attended Brady Elementary School in Aurora where Francisco Jr. was in kindergarten, Jose in 4th grade and Teodoro is in middle school, according to school officials.
This morning, groups of parents huddled at Brady as they dropped off their young children. In hushed voices, the parents talked about the two students who perished in the fire Sunday.
"You feel a great sadness," said Sanjuana Hernandez, 40.
"There is an emptiness you never felt before," agreed Maria Garcia, 32, as the women chatted after dropping off their kids.
"It's a huge impact just to know they were in the same school," said Ana Roman, 40, after leaving her 5-year-old at school. "When I found out I couldn't sleep."
For many of the kids, parents said, learning the tragic fate of a peer made them very emotional.
"She couldn't believe it," Maria Zuniga said of her daughter Dulce Gutierrez, 8. "She got sad, she was crying."
But the 8-year-old wants to do some good, Zuniga said.
"My daughter wants to know what she can do for the families," Zuniga, 49, said. Some families said they would help explain the tragedy by using it as a fire safety lesson.
"They have to know because it can be used to prevent an accident," Roman said.
The school is providing counselors to the students and staff, East Aurora school district 131 spokesman Clayton Muhammad said.
Just blocks away, people gathered at the site of the fatal fire to remember the victims. Six crosses have been placed in front of the charred building. Two remain blank.
People like Liduvina Huante, 40, who lives next door dropped off stuffed animals, roses and candles. "It's very hard to think of the little ones dying," she said.
East Aurora School District 131 officials are assisting the American Red Cross and Emanuel Baptist Church to collect financial and material donations for the families, said Jerome Roberts, school superintendent.
He said checks can be made payable to the American Red Cross and all donations can be dropped off at Emanuel Baptist Church, 742 Claim Street in Aurora. The primary needs are financial contributions for funeral expenses and toiletries for those families displace by the fire, he said.
“This is a great tragedy for all of us. We must come together as a community to support all of the families who have been impacted,” said Roberts.