A teenager dies from serious injuries caused by a house fire in Riverside County

A Jurupa Valley family is mourning the loss of their 14-year-old son who died of severe injuries and smoke inhalation after his house caught fire earlier this month.

On Dec. 5 at 1:59 pm, firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Riverside County Fire Department responded to a single-story home that was engulfed in flames on Pacific Avenue in Jurupa Valley.

One victim was trapped and removed from the burning area by firefighters who were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, according to county fire officials.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Family members identified the victim on social media as 14-year-old Zakaria Diaz.

Diaz was an eighth-grader at Central Middle School of Arts and Innovation, KTLA5 reported. The school released a statement saying Diaz died at the hospital two days after the fire.

The school described Zakaria as “a very kind student who enjoyed all aspects of school life.”

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“Since he was in grade 7, he was playing in the Intermediate Band and his colleagues from last year are still his best friends,” said the statement. “As one of the tallest students at Central, you got to see him more than all the other kids, but he really was a gentle giant with a quick smile and easy laugh.”

His mother, Nicky Rodriquez, is raising money through a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses and said the teenager “had a wonderful life and will continue to give us loving memories of the time we spent with him.”

A small memorial of flowers, candles and a plush Pikachu is left on the ledge and behind it are the charred remains of the family home.

The fire left seven people dead and also killed the family’s five chihuahuas, KTLA5 reported.

The family is holding a memorial for Diaz at the Rubidoux Mortuary – Kimberly Family Chapel at 6091 Mission Blvd. at Riverside on Dec. 20 at 1 p.m

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This story first appeared in the Los Angeles Times.