Giovanna Cabrera

Giovanna Cabrera died attempting to save Gabriel Peña from burning, Houston, Texas February 3, 2024. In the early morning, 1-year-old Gabriel was in his crib in a bedroom in his family’s one-story house when a fire started in the living room, where his 9-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister were asleep along with his mother, Cabrera, a 31-year-old sales clerk. Gabriel’s brother awoke to flames in the room, where the front door was locked. After Cabrera opened the front door for them, the brother and sister exited the house while Cabrera remained inside. The brother saw Cabrera move into the hallway leading to Gabriel’s room, but she did not come back out. At some point, Cabrera called 911 to report the fire, but her call shortly was disconnected. The brother and sister alerted a neighbor, who called 911 to inform first-responders that Cabrera remained inside the burning house with Gabriel while his siblings were safe. The fire grew to engulf the front half of the house by the time firefighters arrived. Firefighters later found Gabriel and Cabrera on the floor at the bedroom doorway. Both died of smoke inhalation and burns.