A Mother’s Love, A Family’s Tragedy: Remembering Five Little Souls

August 6, 2021, was supposed to be a day of joy. Sabrina Dunigan had woken up with the hopes of celebrating her children’s lives, cherishing the laughter of their birthdays. But instead, the world she knew was engulfed in flames.

Before dawn, a fire ravaged the apartment where her five children slept. Smoke and flames spread faster than anyone could react, and by the time the first cries were heard, the building was already consumed. Sabrina, barefoot and desperate, ran straight into the blaze. She screamed their names, pushing through suffocating smoke and searing heat. Firefighters tried to pull her back, but she broke free each time, determined to save them.

“I have to save my babies! I can’t leave them!” she cried, but inside, her children—five beautiful souls—never made it out.

Two were found huddled together, holding each other. The other three lay unconscious in a different room. None of them survived. Five children. Five funerals. And all on their mother’s birthday.

The heartbreak didn’t end there. Sabrina’s parents, who had been visiting, survived only by leaping from a window to safety. Neighbors could hear Sabrina’s anguished screams echoing for blocks: “Not my babies… please, not all of them…”

Just months earlier, Sabrina had lost her previous home to a fire. She had been rebuilding, trying to create a future for her children. But in one horrific moment, everything was gone.

The community rallied together to honor the five young lives lost. Candles flickered in memory, teddy bears were placed in tribute. They remembered each child:

• The dancer who twirled through life

• The little artist who painted the world with imagination

• The shy giggler whose laughter lit up any room

• The protector who always watched over the others

• The baby who never stopped calling for “Mama”

Now, Sabrina prays for them daily, holding on to the belief that they are together in heaven—laughing, holding hands, and waiting for the day they can all be reunited.

Some tragedies can never be undone. But we can honor the memory of a mother who ran into the fire without hesitation and the five precious stars who left too soon.

Rest in peace, sweet angels. May God give their mother the strength to carry on until she can hold them once more.