Dad who died with son in fire remembered as 'true hero'
Relatives on Saturday remembered a Port Hueneme father as "a true hero" who got his wife and daughter to safety after their apartment caught fire but was unable to save himself and his young son.
Mario Rangel, 24, and Diego Rangel, 5, died in a fire Friday morning in their apartment at Second and C streets in Port Hueneme.
"We will remember him as a great son, a great brother, a friend, and, above all, an excellent father and husband, full of the energy of life and always by his family's side,” relative Maria Torres told The Star in Spanish on Saturday.
The fire was reported at 4:10 a.m. Friday at a two-story apartment building in the 200 block of C Street.
Firefighters arrived to find the unit engulfed in flames as smoke billowed from blown-out windows. Rangel's wife and daughter were outside, but a Port Hueneme police officer told firefighters that someone might still be in the apartment. Those fears were confirmed when rescuers found the bodies of Rangel and his son 8 to 10 feet inside the apartment as crews battled the flames, which were knocked down by 4:25 a.m.
"For us, he’s a true hero," Rangel's sister Lourdes Torres told The Star. "He saved his wife and daughter but was unable to return when trying to save his son. Now they’re both in heaven and watching over us. We will always have him in our hearts."
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Rangel met his wife in 2009 when he was a student at Hueneme High School. They had two children.
“My family and I will always remember him how he was: a great person. He loved Mexican music, playing soccer, and more than anything, his family," his sister said.
"What can I say about him? He was a great friend. His friends loved him, and neighbors, they would always look up after him. He was a really kind person, always trying to help others."
She said that after the fire, Rangel's wife and daughter are safe and surrounded by family members.
All eight units in the apartment building were ruled uninhabitable, displacing the 25 to 30 people who lived in them. The American Red Cross offered to help them, setting up a shelter at Oxnard College, although most said they would stay with relatives. A representative from the Red Cross could not be reached for comment Saturday on how many people were staying at the shelter.
The investigation into the fire continued Saturday, but no new details about it were available. Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Steve Swindle said investigators had no updates on its cause, the estimated cost of damage or when displaced residents would be able to move back into the building.
How to help
At least two GoFundMe campaigns have been started to help the Rangel family pay for the funerals. They can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/dx7xu-doble-funeral and https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-for-father-and-son.