Thursday, March 20, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Investigators were expected today to continue searching for the cause of a house fire in which a southeast Las Vegas family's two young daughters died.
The fire's charred path begins in the older split-level home's northwest corner -- a combined living and bedroom area -- but what triggered the blaze that caused an estimated $125,000 in damage isn't clear, said Bob Leinbach, Clark County Fire Department spokesman.
Meanwhile, the Filipino American Club of Nevada is collecting donations to assist the Santiago family as they attempt to rebuild their lives.
"The family wants to thank everyone who has offered to help, and who is saying prayers for them," said Nilda McKellar, the organization's president.
"We've had so many people call -- some have called us crying after reading about what happened in the newspaper, wanting to know how to help. We are trying to raise money for this family so they can pay for their children's funeral. Their lives have been devastated."
Anyone interested in contributing to the fund is asked to do so with checks or money orders made out to the parents, either Anthony or Lorraina Santiago.
Donations can be mailed to the Filipino American Club of Nevada Inc., P.O. Box 85464, Las Vegas, NV 89185. The organization can be reached at 873-0237.
Funeral arrangements are pending for Angelica Santiago, 4, and her sister, Marie, 8, who died about 1:30 a.m. Monday when fire gutted their home at 3915 Belleville Ave., near Harmon Avenue and Sandhill Road.
The sisters were the first fire-related fatalities of the year. Marie, an honor student at Ferron Elementary School, was found in her bed; her little sister was in the hall just outside the upstairs bedroom.
Their grandfather awoke in a downstairs room, smelled smoke and woke up the girls' parents who were also sleeping downstairs with their 2-year-old daughter, Tanya, authorities said. The four escaped the fire along with a family friend, but were unable to rescue the youngsters upstairs.
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