Expand / Collapse search
☰

'We are heartbroken': 16-year-old dies in San Pablo fire that also killed cousin

By and
Published  October 25, 2024 7:09am PDT
San Pablo
KTVU FOX 2

Family mourns loss of 2 cousins in San Pablo fire

Two cousins, ages 23 and 16, died in a San Pablo apartment fire over the weekend apparently caused by food on the stove.

SAN PABLO, Calif. - A 16-year-old boy has died of injuries sustained in a San Pablo apartment fire that also killed his 23-year-old cousin.

The blaze erupted around 3 a.m. Sunday in a Manchester Avenue apartment, according to Contra Costa fire officials.

Firefighters pulled a 23-year-old man, his 11-year-old brother, and their 16-year-old cousin from the unit. The 23-year-old died from smoke inhalation on Sunday.

"Fires that can be lethal aren’t always the fires that have flames burning through the roof," Capt. George Laing with Contra Costa County Fire said, "Smoke is a very deadly component of any structure fire."

On Thursday, a family member told KTVU that the 16-year-old, previously hospitalized, had died. The third victim remains in critical condition. According to a GoFundMe page for the family, the younger son is still fighting for his life.

"It's so stressful. I'm just so devastated right now," said aunt Erica Hunter. "No words can express how much pain the family is going through. We are heartbroken. We have not eaten. We have not had no sleep."

Relatives said Mychel Gordon and his younger cousin, Omari Godfrey, were killed in the fire. The blaze left Gordon's little brother, Malik Gordon, with burns over 95 percent of his body. He is a student at Michelle Obama Elementary School in Richmond.

Neighbor Mary Lewis told KTVU that the woman who lives in the unit that caught fire is a single mom who works nights. She said the mother wasn't home when the fire started.

The victims were her elder and younger sons, and her nephew.

A source told KTVU the fire appears to have been accidental and caused by food on the stove.

"Someone may have been cooking and fell asleep," said another aunt of the boys, Tanika Gilbert. "Everybody's pretty much overwhelmed. Nobody prepares for any tragedy to happen like this to their families."

Hayward residents race to put out fire

Residents of a Hayward townhome community were awakened by a fire nearby, but it was a 13-year-old girl who sounded the alarm.

The family is struggling to make sense of their loss and sharing memories of their loved ones.

"Mychel was a beautiful, beautiful soul, always smiling, always gave the biggest hugs every time he seen us," Gilbert said.

Omari was a student at Richmond High School.

"He was aspiring to be a UFC fighter, actually just got into wrestling," Gilbert said.

Denise Kirk, the mother of Mychel and Malik Gordon, told KTVU by phone that she is by her younger son's bedside.

Kirk said she is in pain because of her nephew's death.

"I just feel guilty and that was her only son," Kirk said. "Just sad and just can't believe. Still in disbelief and shock really that this happened to me."

Two additional GoFundMe campaigns were set up to help the family. They can be found here and at this link.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story reported the victims as 15 and 22 years old. Family members have since clarified that the victims were 16 and 22 years old.