The family who lives across the street from a house fire that killed four young children in Springfield was displaced by a different fire a few days earlier.
Cynthia Gutierez was with her three young kids at their Poplar Avenue home when she smelled smoke about two weeks ago.
"I didn't even try to look around, I grabbed my kids and called 911," recalled Gutierez.
Smoke and flames were seen pouring out of the side of the house but firefighters quickly stopped it from spreading. However, the family lost majority of their belongings and were forced to stay at a nearby trailer.
"It's just so unbearable I can't, just thinking how close for me and my kids it was," Gutierez told NewsChannel 5.
Its been a difficult time for Gutierez knowing four days later, her neighbors across the street would lose their home and children to an overnight fire.
Gutierez said the children killed in the fire would play with her own kids on their yard.
"I just miss all of them, that's something we can never bring back now," Gutierez tearfully said. "We were all close to the babies."
Gutierez's husband took NewsChannel 5 around the house to show the damage. The house sustained heavy damage from smoke and water but at least two rooms were destroyed.
