Charges For Mother In Fire That Killed Two Children

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 23, 2008 8:30PM

Erika Ramirez, 29, has been charged with four counts of child endangerment stemming from an early Monday morning fire that killed two of her children and injured two others. Ramirez left the four children - ages 6, 7, 9, and 11 - alone at her house in the 7200 block of South Troy Street so she and her boyfriend could watch a freaking pool game at a nearby bar. The blaze killed Perla Gonzalez, 6, and Carla Gonzalez, 9, and the other two children, Victor Ramirez, 11, and Esmeralda Gonzalez, 7, were rescued by police. While a cause has not officially been identified, an overloaded electrical outlet is being cited as a potential cause. There is also a possibility that one of the children plugged in a small space heater. The kicker? Ramirez has previously pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges in 2000.