About 100 people in a Glendale neighborhood gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor a mother and her three children who died in a house fire Wednesday near 51st Avenue and Peoria.
"It breaks my heart to see what this family and everybody in this neighborhood is going through," said a teacher who spoke at the vigil.
But family, friends and neighbors are finding support in each other.
Those who knew them best shared stories and memories of 41-year-old Heather Johnson, her twin sons and her teen daughter.
“She was such a sweet person. She didn’t deserve this," said a tearful classmate of one of the victims.
The group walked through the neighborhood with candles in hands to honor the family’s memory and give loved ones a chance to express how they feel.
“The children are who need to heal because they don’t understand, so they hurt more," said Victoria Gough, the neighbor who organized the vigil.
Members of the Glendale Fire Department crisis team also showed up to let neighbors know they are there to help.
“They (crisis team) are going to meet me at my home with smoke alarms for me to distribute to the families that need them," Gough said.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, but they said it does not appear suspicious.
