When four-year-old Esmeralda walked out of her front door Thursday afternoon, she did not expect to see a group of firefighters waiting for her.
The surprise made her so happy, she began to jump up and down when she saw them, waiting for her at the family's doorstep with huge, shiny Christmas presents in tow.
"Hi," one firefighter said, opening his arms with a smile. "Hello, Esma."
Esmeralda ran out to say hello to her firefighter friends and even opened one of the delivered gifts, hugging the firefighter who gave her the package: a Barbie and several other toys.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Department firefighters have been in close contact with the Vasquez family ever since their Mount Hope house was the scene of a deadly fire on Nov. 30, 2015.
That night, three young children were in the house: Fernando and his young siblings – half-sister Esmeralda and half-brother Luis. The trio were being cared for by a babysitter and her boyfriend when a fire sparked inside the single-story residence on J Street, near Toyne Street.
The children’s mother was away, driving her eldest child back to college after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
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The fast-moving blaze proved to be deadly.
Firefighters found Fernando’s body inside the burned out home. Esmeralda and Luis survived, but suffered critical injuries that left them both hospitalized.
Esmeralda suffered burns to about 40 percent of her body, while Luis has burns to 70 percent of his body.
Since that devastating day, said mother Juanita Vasquez, the firefighters who helped save her children, as well as others in the department, have been with the family nearly every step of the way.
"The firefighters have been very supportive of my family over the past year and they always visit the kids, see how they're doing, it’s really…I can't say. Just, I have no words. Really nice people," said mother Juanita Vasquez, tearing up.
Juanita said her son Luis just came home from the hospital a month ago, and has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
"We're just taking it day by day, trying to make him stronger so he can go back to school," Juanita said.
Ever since the deadly fire, Juanita said, the firefighters have been "like angels" to her.
"They're just angels that I never expected," she said, tearing up. "They're just nice, and it's good that they do good deeds for families. They put their lives (on the line) for our families and then they're still here supporting us – it’s a blessing."
The firefighters have been a constant for the family, Juanita's sister Maria said. Since the fire, they've felt more like family than firefighters.
"It's been great, not just the toys – they come and they visit, they check up on the kids. They're like family to us," Maria said. "We're grateful for all that they’ve done, very grateful."
The kids often make pictures for the firefighters and pray for them, Maria said. The children have even gone to see their friends at the fire station, and the firefighters come visit the family at home.
"I know they're busy, especially this time of the year, but they always go out of the way for the kids and we're happy that the kids see them and be part of our family," Maria said.
The gifts are one small kindness of many over the months since the fire.
"This is a happy Christmas for them," Maria said.
The family's Mount Hope home is nearly rebuilt and ready to move into, said Maria, the children's aunt. The family hopes to move back in in January.
