An 8-month-old girl who died in an apartment fire called her grandmother “Nana” for the first time the day before the tragic blaze, family members said.
Kris Kueneman, 23, and her baby daughter, Lilly, died early Sunday in the Fort Collins fire.
“Lilly was starting to walk already; she was pulling herself along the furniture walking along,” said Carol Weil of Lander, Wyo., Kueneman’s aunt.
Kueneman, a single mother, worked at a local sandwich shop to support herself and Lilly.
While she worked, Lilly was cared for by her grandparents, George and Jeanette Kueneman.
“The day before the fire, she had just learned to say ‘Nana,”‘ Weil said, her voice cracking.
“Kris was full of life,” Weil added. “She was a very giving young lady. She just loved life and her little one.”
Fire investigators returned Monday to the charred building.
“We still don’t have an idea about the cause,” said Jason Mantas, a Poudre Fire Authority spokesman.
The two-story apartment building, at 1303 W. Swallow Road, suffered extensive damage.
“It’s going to take several days to process all the material there,” Mantas said.
The Larimer County coroner’s office said Monday that the mother and daughter died from smoke inhalation.
Kueneman is also survived by a brother, G.W., of Fort Collins.
A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Allnutt Funeral Home, 650 W. Drake Road.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
