FREDERICKSBURG, Texas - A Fredericksburg family buried two of their children on Saturday after they died in a house fire earlier in the week. Thirteen year old Justine Cantu and her brother 15-year old Bryan Cantu did not make it out of their mobile home when it caught fire around 4:30 Tuesday morning.
At least a couple of hundred people turned out to pay their respects. James Arizola was one of them. He drove in from Kerrville to support his cousins.
He said, “You can see there is the support of all the people around and the whole community has come together, it's been a blessing”.
Eight people were inside the home when it went up in flames. The parents, three of their children, and a family friend all made it out. The dad, Armando Cantu tried to go back in to rescue two of his children, but it was too late. Justine and Bryan died in the fire.
Cantu suffered burns on more than 40% of his body and was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center, known as SAMMC.
Gary Sorola, who is another one of Armando’s cousins said, “He's supposed to be there for three months, they're supposed to let him out today so he can come to the funeral. He's supposed to go back, but they say he's doing pretty good”.
As family and friends left the funeral services at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church and made their way to the cemetery, losing more than one child weighed on the minds of many.
“Just to bury one I can only imagine, I can imagine two is pretty hard,” said Sorola.
The family is asking for help with funeral and medical expenses. Donations can be made to the Cantu family at Schaetter Funeral Home.
