AURORA — On Tuesday afternoon, 14-year-old Gabriela Ramirez asked her parents if they knew what today was.

“Martes,” her father Manuel Ramirez responded in Spanish — Tuesday.

But Gabriela’s mother paused. “It’s the day that the people died,” she said. “The fire.”

One year ago yesterday, in the early morning hours of May 15, a blaze destroyed the three-story apartment building at 760 Claim St. in Aurora, killing six people and leaving nine families homeless.

The Ramirezes — Manuel, Manuela, now 14-year-old Gabriela, 10-year-old Roberto and 8-year-old Antonio — were one of those families.

In July 2011, the family moved into a small two-bedroom apartment — also on Claim Street on Aurora’s Near East Side. Back then, they were worried — the fire didn’t only cost them their home and everything they owned, but it also meant an increase from their $550 rent.

Although each surviving family received about $5,000 thanks to fundraising by nearby church Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, most of the money went to pay medical bills, said Manuel, who was injured in the fire.

Rent at the new apartment was $680 per month.

In July 2011, mother Manuela Ramirez acted as sole breadwinner, trying to keep the family of five afloat while dealing with injuries her daughter sustained after jumping from the family’s third-floor window to escape flames. For two months, Gabriela was in a wheelchair.

What the Ramirezes didn’t know then is that their spiral of debt was just beginning.

By December 2011, six months after the fire, the Ramirezes were praying for someone to save them. A $506.97 ComEd bill and disconnection notice had mother Manuela Ramirez in tears. The customer service representative warned they risked power shutoff every day.

By December 2011, Manuela’s work as a metal fabricator dried up. Father Manuel was pulling in about $300 per week.

Luckily, an Aurora businesswoman showed up on their doorstep and paid the ComEd bill in total, Manuel said. They were grateful.

But today, that light bill has been replaced with a $466.09 Nicor gas bill. And two months of back rent.

The Ramirez’s problems are exasperated by temp work that is diminishing. Each week, they are able to find work for two or three days, Manuela said. The pair brought in about $300 combined last week.

“Really, we just need more work,” Manuela said. Gabriela, fresh from a doctor’s visit, is on a new prescription to ease her back pain. She had a disc removed after the fire.

But even now, the Ramirezes haven’t lost hope.

“The faith I never lose,” Manuel said. “I’m still hoping things get better.”

They haven’t lost joy.

Roberto has the family laughing at his re-enactment of the family’s troubles.

“We’ve had it,” he said, drawing a line far above his head. “Up to here!”

City promotes safety

After the fire, the Aurora Fire Department created bilingual fire prevention education programs through networking with the Hispanic community, said Assistant Fire Chief John Lehman.

“We have come to a realization that it is not just those who have not been through our grade school fire prevention programs, but that adults might need to be refreshed on basic fire safety measures,” Lehman said.

A big part of that was the Fire Department’s goal to educate 1,000 people in the Hispanic community. Lehman said they smashed that goal — by October 2011, firefighters reached about 11,000 people in the Hispanic community by utilizing a group of Spanish-speaking firefighters. Their message had three parts: install working smoke detectors, make a fire exit plan and use candles safely.

Firefighters spread the word at local fairs, Fiestas Patrias, and outside Hispanic supermarkets. The Fire Department also worked with local churches, temp agencies and Waubonsee Community College, where fire safety was communicated via bulletins and with people’s paychecks. Firefighters also gave safety briefings to audiences at major factories.

“These messages all had a direct impact on the outcome of this fire and tragic loss of life that occurred,” Lehman said. “There is a short window in order to effect change after a tragic event such as this.”

Killed in the Claim Street fire were members of two families: Cristina Dominguez and her son, 8-month-old Alex Gonzaga; and mother Micaela Perez, father Francisco Marcos Sr., kindergartner Francisco Marcos Jr., and fourth-grader Jose Marcos. Teodoro Marcos, 14, was the sole survivor of his family. Teodoro has not returned to East Aurora schools, according to district spokesman Clayton Muhammad.

Six makeshift memorials, adorned with fresh flowers, still stand in front of the building.