Two elderly sisters perished in a terrifying Hollywood house fire last week — after one of the women braved the deadly flames in a doomed attempt to save her sibling.
The fatal fire engulfed the dead sisters’ home on Vista Del Mar Avenue just a block from the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 4 just before 3 a.m.
Cops think the blaze was set intentionally, possibly by a serial arsonist.
Maria “Chelo” Vazquez, 76, was spotted briefly exiting the burning house before rushing back inside after telling a neighbor that she needed to save her sister, Yolanda “Yola” Honda, 82, according to a GoFundMe launched by the sisters’ family members.
“I need to go back and get my sister,” were the last words Vazquez uttered, according to the family’s online fundraiser.
It took some 40 firefighters less than 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.
Honda died at the scene. Her sister, who tried to save her, was transported to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where she later died.
According to the GoFundMe, Honda was recovering from an emergency hip surgery and her sister Vazquez had moved in to take care of her, “ensuring Chelo was safe, fed, and loved every single day.”
The sisters’ family still is searching for Vazquez’s beloved dog Coco, who has not been seen since the fire, the GoFundMe said.
Police think the blaze that killed the sisters may have been set by a serial firebug.
Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Harrelson said at a police commission meeting Tuesday that cops consider the blaze the result of an act of arson that caused two homicides.
“Further investigation revealed that multiple additional fires were reported in close proximity during the same early morning time period, as well as a similar fire reported in the area of Lake Chandler,” Harrelson said. “These incidents involve fires set in trash containers located adjacent to residential structures.”
No additional injuries were reported in connection with the other fires. Harrelson said LAPD detectives are canvassing the area, interviewing residents and witnesses, and reviewing video evidence.
“The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives are continuing to review additional evidence as it becomes available,” said Harrelson.
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