Victims in deadly Boyle Heights house fire identified as husband and wife

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The two people who died following a devastating house fire in Boyle Heights have been identified as a husband and his wife.

The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 28 at the home on 756 Boyle Avenue.

According to a statement released by a family spokesperson, Antonio Flores, 90, died this week due to severe smoke inhalation. The family said his esophagus and lungs were heavily damaged during the fire.

Antonio, who suffered from dementia, died almost one week after his wife, Maria Ines Flores Briseño, also known as Ines, was killed in the fire.

The family said she was unable to escape that morning.

The home, which was lovingly known as "La Casa," was built in 1910 and was a central piece of their family history for more than 60 years.

"La Casa was where families stayed when they came to town to visit, where uncles and cousins lived when they first immigrated to this country," said the spokesperson. "Many cousins lived there until they married. Generations of children remember celebrating birthdays and weddings as well as making mudpies in the back yard. La Casa was where the family all congregated in sorrow and unity as family members passed."

Due to the amount of flames coming from the front of the home that morning along with structural damage, firefighters had to enter from the rear of the home.

"There was some excessive storage inside the home," said LAFD Captain Adam VanGerpen the day of the fire. "At this time, it's unknown if there are smoke detectors that were working inside there."

Officials say there were a total of five people in the single-story home.

Ines and Antonio are survived by three adult sons and an adult daughter. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been created to help the Flores family during their time of need.