SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Friends and family of Christos and Isabella Lopez gathered Sunday to grieve, after hearing the two children, aged 10 and 7 years old, died in a fire on Saturday.
"It's been so hard," said Sam Trink, a friend of the Lopez family. "All of the parents have been reaching out."
The kids were killed when a fire engulfed their father's apartment early Saturday morning. Their father is still in the ICU, fighting for his life.
Christos and Isabella were in 5th and 2nd grade, respectively, at Sunset Hills Elementary School in Rancho Penasquitos.The principal sent out a letter to parents Sunday, informing them of their deaths and saying grief counselors will be on campus Monday when school resumes.
The letter also said that the kids "will be remembered for their warm hearts and happy spirits, and leave behind many positive memories."
That's what their friends tried to hold onto Sunday. Trink said her son and some other classmates spent the morning together looking at old yearbooks and finding pictures of Christos and Isabella.
"You see smiles on their faces, They were so happy go lucky, living life to the fullest," she said. "To see it taken away is, it's very hard."
Trink said their mother is having a particularly hard time dealing with their deaths.
"She's been in shock. Just complete shock, having a very difficult time," she said. "Today is worse than yesterday and I think tomorrow will be even worse."
The family set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral and medical expenses.
