SHENANDOAH - More than 100 people gathered Wednesday to remember the victims of a fire that claimed the life of a mother, her son and her two nephews one year ago.
Holding candles and singing "Amazing Grace" and "I am the Bread of Life," the crowd reflected on the loss of Tiffany Matejick Sanchez, 28, her son, Cristian Sanchez, 10, and nephews, Damien Lopez, 10, and Aziah Hernandez, 7 months old.
The fire on March 27, 2012, started inside the family's 117 E. Coal St., left 11 people homeless and damaged four other homes.
Before she perished in the fire, Matejick Sanchez placed her son, Diego Sanchez, 8, outside a window to safety. Diego did not attend Wednesday's vigil, said Eric Becker, 31, of Shenandoah, a friend of Matejick Sanchez.
"He didn't come. I don't think he could take it," he said, adding that Diego still lives in Schuylkill County.
Family and friends who gathered Wednesday said they still mourn the family.
Rebecca Barnes, 17, of Ashland, sang "In the Arms of an Angel," by Sarah McLachlan.
"I feel like I have four guardian angels now," she said of her family members who died in the fire.
Christa Lopez, 28, is the sister of Matejick Sanchez and lived at the house with her and their mother, Alberta Matejick, and other family members. Lopez was not home at the time of the fire. She said she is doing the best she can to cope with the loss of her two children, Damien and Aziah.
"Well, honestly, my two kids I have now is what keeps me going," she said before candles were lit shortly after 8 p.m.
Natalie Hernandez, 5, and Dominic Lopez, 9, often ask where their brothers are.
"Sometimes I just avoid the question," she said, adding that she does tell them they are in heaven. "It's just sad. They didn't have a chance to live their life. They got taken so young."
She said she misses her sister a lot.
"There are times I pick up the phone to call her," she said.
Matejick Sanchez's mother cried when she talked about her family members.
"I love them and I'll miss them and they'll never be forgotten," she said while standing at the site of the fire, where the homes used to be.
Becker, the vigil's organizer, said he wanted to do something to remember the victims.
"The first year, you should do something like this to grieve," he said.
Amy Sartori, 27, of Shenandoah, recalled her friend, Matejick Sanchez.
"She was the best person you could have known. She thought of everybody before herself," she said.
On Wednesday, state police fire marshal Trooper John F. Burns said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
"At this point, it is still undetermined," Burns said.
Burns said investigators determined the fire started inside the 117 W. Coal St. home but have not been able to conclusively pinpoint a cause.
"It remains an open investigation," he said.
(Staff writer Frank Andruscavage contributed to this report.)