On Thursday night,while Pina was babysitting her granddaughter,nephew and two nieces in her sister’s apartment,she smelled smoke and realized the apartment building was on fire.When her 4yearold granddaughter Ilean Garcia began saying,“We’re going to die,”she knew she had to act.Pina,39,first sealed the door,and then told all four children to get on the floor.After calling 911,she told the children to start singing and promised them all treats as soon as they reached safety.
“I said,‘OK,we’re going to lie down and we’re all going to play a game,’”Pina said.“We all started singing our ABCs and 123s.I was just trying to make it fun.”