Family mourning grandmother killed in vacant building fire in Long Beach

A local family is mourning the loss of their matriarch after she was killed in a fire in Long Beach last week. 

"She meant the world to us — to her kids," said Cynthia Hernandez, the niece of Christina Rivera, one of three victims of a massive fire that broke out in an abandoned building on Long Beach Boulevard on May 4. "I just want her to know that she was loved. I hope she's less struggle and in a better place, but we miss her."

Rivera, 49, died after being rushed to a nearby hospital in grave condition. 

Long Beach fire investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire and how it spread so quickly, killing two and leaving another woman in serious condition. 

Hernandez says that her aunt, a mother of three and grandmother of two, had fallen on hard times in recent years.

"She was dealing with homelessness, but aside from that, she made it a point to reach out to us regularly, reach out to the kids regularly," she said, remembering her aunt as the life of every party. 

They believe that she was trying to get shelter inside of the building when the fire broke out. As it stands, LBFD says that the cause of the fire was likely accidental. 

Nearly a week after the fatal incident, family is left wondering if a bizarre turn of events could have saved Rivera. 

While firefighters were battling the blaze, one of their ambulances was stolen, according to Long Beach police. They say that Jose Armando Lara, a 31-year-old man, took the car and fled from the area, slamming into several other cars before colliding with a pole, leading to his arrest. 

"Could that have been crucial in life saving?" Hernandez wonders. 

Long Beach fire says that despite the additional incident, the stolen ambulance was on scene to assist with minor injuries. The two women found inside of the building were sent to the hospital in a different ambulance that was meant for life-threatening injuries. 

One man, identified as 28-year-old Israel Gonzalez, was also killed in the fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters entered the building during the battle.