INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Fire Department said a 3-year-old girl died Thursday morning from injuries she got in a fire at an east side apartment complex Jan. 9.
Fifteen-month-old Leilani Rembert and 31-year-old Raymond Diggs also died as a result of the fire.
A 12-year-old boy remains at Riley Hospital for Children, and a 14-year-old boy has been released and continues his recovery, IFD said Thursday.
LeeAnne Jenkins, who worked with Diggs at Joe's Auto Sales, is hurting after the loss of her friend.
"I've just felt lost without him here, I really have," said Jenkins. "It's been really hard, but we're trying."
Jenkins knew Diggs was reliable on the job and at home.
"He was a great father. A lot of times, he'd leave work, and I'm like, 'why are you leaving?' He's like, 'because I've got to take care of my kids.' I'm like, 'that makes sense,'" said Jenkins. "He loved taking care of his kids. To him, it wasn't even about being a father, he just loved them to death."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
On Jan. 9, firefighters were called to the fire just before 10:30 p.m. at 2847 Elwin Drive, which is an address at Briergate Apartments near 30th Street and North Post Road.
When firefighters arrived, there was no fire showing from the apartment, but there was a light amount of smoke in the hallway. The fire, which investigators believe started on the couch, was smoldering and had nearly burned itself out. However, firefighters said the apartment was "heavily charged" with smoke.
"Depending on what the couch was made of, [it] can give off some deadly toxins into the air, and that may have rendered them unconscious," Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith said.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the remaining fire within a minute of entering the apartment.
Inside the apartment, they found Diggs and Rembert near the couch. They found the man's 3-year-old daughter, as well as a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, in a back bedroom. All were unconscious and in cardiac arrest.
"This happened so fast. Firefighters arrived on scene, and within 10 minutes of entry, they had removed five patients from that apartment, and all of them [we had to] establish CPR," Reith said.
The victims were likely sleeping when the fire started and, Reith said, the toxic smoke acted fast. First responders were able to get a pulse back on all five people who were injured.
The mother of all four children wasn't home when the fire started but met investigators at the hospital, IFD said.
Diggs and the 14-year-old were initially taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition. The 12-year-old, 3-year-old and the 1-year-old were initially taken to Riley Hospital for Children in critical condition.
"Our hearts are with this family that were in that apartment and most likely sleeping," Reith said. "Whatever caught on fire produced a lot of toxic smoke, and the smoke can render you unconscious in minutes."
Investigators said no smoke alarm was activated in the apartment when the fire started, but firefighters did hear an activated smoke alarm in the apartment building's hallway.
"That's why we encourage everyone to be mindful of what is going on inside their apartment and have that working smoke alarm so that we can get people out of those situations," Reith said.
Investigators said they had been at the apartment two weeks prior, and the unit had a working smoke alarm then. Investigators said it's not clear why the smoke alarm was removed.
The fire didn't extend to or damage any other apartments. Utilities were shut off to the apartment above, and a family of three living in that apartment was displaced due to the utility shutoff and smoke in their apartment.
IFD Victim Assistance is working with the Red Cross to find shelter for the family who was displaced.
(Editor's note: This story has been edited to reflect a correction from the coroner's office about Leilani Rembert. The office initially identified the girl as deceased, but later clarified she was alive, but with little expectation of survival.)