An apartment in North Park caught fire Tuesday and left 19-year-old Sallina Sareth, who had cerebral palsy, dead.
Sareth’s older sister Rath Tep said that Sareth, who was disabled, non-verbal and completely dependent on others, believes she could have been saved either by her home nurse or first responders.
“For her to pass away like this, and this kind of fire, she can’t move, she can’t talk, she can’t scream for help. She can’t do anything, you know?” Tep said. “I know she must have been suffering because even though she’s hurt, she can’t scream.”
A spokesperson for Aveanna Healthcare, which employs the nurse, said in a statement the caretaker made several “valiant” attempts to save Sareth.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement that the department’s Office of Fire Investigation, which investigates every blaze involving a fire fatality, is looking into the incident.
“The Chicago Fire Department’s priority has always been and remains the protection of life and property,” Langford said in an email.
Sareth was found unresponsive in her room by first responders, officials said.
Tep, who typically stays at the apartment to take care of her overnight, was at work when her mother was crying when she called her to tell her about the fire.
“All I heard was her screaming, yelling, ‘Please bring her, please bring my daughter out, please, she’s disabled, she’s there, she’s over there near the living room in her bed,'” Tep said.
Tep said the first responders told her mom they couldn’t get her out because it was too dangerous. Tep said she rushed over to the apartment, and when she got there, Sareth was still in the apartment.
“When I got there, I told them that I can go in, you know. But they said it’s too dangerous, so they won’t let me in,” Tep said. “I said, ‘I will go in and carry her if they can’t do it.'”
Careless use of smoking materials on the top-floor apartment in the 5200 block of North Bernard Street was cited as the cause of the 1:30 p.m. Tuesday fire that killed Sareth and injured her stepfather, who was hospitalized in fair condition.
Sareth was declared dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and pending further studies, according to the medical examiner’s office. Her stepfather was released from the hospital and is still recovering from the burns.
The family said Sareth had been under the watch and care of an at-home nurse from Aveanna Healthcare, who allegedly left the room and then allegedly fled the fire.
According to Tep, the nurse was in the bathroom when the fire erupted. Tep said her stepfather, who was in the apartment at the time, ran to find the nurse, banged on the bathroom door and yelled for her. But the nurse allegedly didn’t answer. Tep said she is unsure what happened after that.
The spokesperson for Aveanna said “our hearts and prayers are with the family as they cope with the tragic loss of Sallina. Our understanding is that the nurse who was on the scene made multiple, valiant attempts to save Sallina, but it was not possible to gain access to her due to severe smoke and fire conditions, ” the statement said.
“We are cooperating with the official investigation into the fire and will withhold further comments until that investigation is completed,” according to the statement.
The family also alleged the first responders were told Sareth was inside, but did not immediately go in to get her. Tep said the first responders told the family later that the room was “just smoky,” not mentioning Sareth’s body was burned Langford did not comment on the family’s claim.
The family is trying to raise $30,000 on GoFundMe for funeral and burial costs, potential legal expenses and a new place to live after the fire destroyed their home. As of Thursday evening, the GoFundMe had raised more than $10,000 with more than 200 donations.
Tep said Sallina was a kind and gentle person who was always upbeat. Their family is now grappling with her loss.
“We didn’t want to lose her like this,” Tep said. “You know, we understand that with her condition, we might not have her for long, but we want her to be with us, and not go in this way, not to suffer like this, with no family with her.”