Three young sisters died and their older brother was injured in an early-morning Houston condo fire over the weekend, authorities said.
Ana Julia Melara Zelaya, 8, Julisa Adamari Melara Zelaya, 11, and Evelen Del Carmen Melara Zelaya, 15, were pronounced dead at the scene of their residence in southwest Houston on Sunday, Aug. 4, Houston Fire Department officials said at a press conference.
Firefighters responded to the fire at the Monterra Condominiums near the intersection of Bissonnet and Beechnut streets at 5:44 a.m. local time where they found the fire contained to a single residence in the complex. The three girls were found dead inside the unit, authorities said.
The sisters’ 21-year-old brother Oscar initially escaped the fire before he went back inside to try to save his sisters, their mother, Meybis Evelen Zelaya, told CBS affiliate KHOU-TV.

The mom told ABC affiliate KTRK that she is now grieving the loss of her three daughters.
“My three angels are gone,” Zelaya said. “It’s incredibly hard. I don’t wish this on anyone.”
At the Aug. 4 press conference, fire officials said the incident took a toll on the first responders.
“Obviously, our hearts are heavy,” HFD Chief Thomas Muñoz said. “Our condolences go to the family.”
In the wake of the tragedy, the family has started a GoFundMe, while investigators work to determine the cause of the fire.
A faulty electrical outlet may have started the fire, which spread to a sofa, Meybis said, per KHOU.
