Palm Memorial Chapel and Mountain View Cemetery
Fresno, California
In less than seven minutes, a deadly fire turned a mobile home into a twisted wreck, killing two teenage sisters and their uncle. To learn more about the Yang family and the tragic events of March 19, 2006, please visit Yang Family Mobile Home Fire and Aftermath.
Ia Yang Funeral
March 30-31, 2006
Ia Yang (pronounced “E-yah”), 15, was a tenth grade student at Duncan Polytechnical High School in Fresno when she died in a mobile home fire on March 19, 2006. In less than seven minutes, the deadly blaze completely destroyed the trailer, killing Ia, her younger sister Pakou, 13, and her Uncle Shee, 22.
Ia’s father, Chong Yang, heroically rescued his wife and seven of Ia’s siblings by smashing the trailer’s windows and pushing them out one by one. But Ia and the other two victims had already died by the time Chong was awakened by the fire. Ia was Chong's favorite daughter.
The three consecutive funerals for Yang fire victims were a cultural first in Fresno. Most Hmong funerals are held at Hmong-owned facilities that cater exclusively to their own community. On a given weekend in Fresno, there are two to four funerals for Hmong elders. Since Hmong people don’t have temples like Lao Buddhists do, these elder funerals are an important cultural gathering point, not just for the families, but for the entire community.
The Yang funerals, by contrast, were the first to be held in a conventional American funeral home, Palm Memorial Chapel, in downtown Fresno. This was seen as an important step toward breaking down cultural barriers between Hmong Americans and their neighbors. Ia was buried at Fresno’s Mountain View Cemetery.
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The Daw Kev (funeral officiant, pronounced “Thdaw Kea”) begins the funeral ceremony to guide the spirit of the deceased back to the Hmong cosmological homeland. He chants an ancient Hmong funeral song, March 30, 2006.
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Members of the Yang family watch the funeral. Chong Yang, Ia’s father, is fourth from left. Marge Bilsten, a supporter who helped sponsor the funerals, sent Chong and his wife to a tailor at her own expense so that they would have proper attire for the funerals. Chong had never owned or worn a suit and tie before.
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Yang family members watch the Daw Kev’s ceremony. Doua Vang-Yang, Ia’s mother, is second from left, March 30, 2006.
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A moment arrives at every Hmong funeral when all the mourners cry together, March 30, 2006.
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Yang women support each other in their shared grief, March 30, 2006.
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Chong Yang’s Father, Blia Tou Yang, cries for Ia, March 30, 2006.
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A Yang relative cries for Ia, March 30, 2006.
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Chong Yang’s mother cries for her granddaughter, Ia, March 30, 2006.
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Chong Yang’s sister, Mai, cries for her niece, Ia, March 30, 2006.
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A Yang relative mourns Ia, March 30, 2006.
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Doua Vang-Yang (right) is comforted by her sister-in-law, Mai Yang (center), March 30, 2006.
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A qeeb player (pronounced “keng”) sweeps the area near Ia’s casket to chase away dab (evil spirits, pronounced “dah!”), March 30, 2006.
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Men from the Yang family bow down in gratitude for donations received to help pay for the cost of the funeral. This practice is followed at every Hmong funeral, where many attendees make cash contributions, March 30, 2006.
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Men from the Yang family bow down in gratitude for donations received to help pay for the cost of the funeral. This practice is followed at every Hmong funeral, where many attendees make cash contributions, March 30, 2006.
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Closeup of a qeeb player’s hands. Pitch is controlled by moving fingers on and off of small holes in the bamboo pipes, March 30, 2006.
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Men from the Yang family bow down in gratitude for donations received to help pay for the cost of the funeral. This practice is followed at every Hmong funeral, where many attendees make cash contributions, March 31, 2006.
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Men from the Yang family bow down in gratitude for donations received to help pay for the cost of the funeral. Brothers Chon Yang (right) and Tou Yang (left) came from Merced for the funerals, as did many other relatives.
This practice of gratitude is followed at every Hmong funeral, where many attendees make cash contributions, March 31, 2006.
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Men from the Yang family bow down in gratitude for donations received to help pay for the cost of the funeral, March 31, 2006.
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Moua Vang (center) is a local Hmong language broadcaster who played a significant role in raising money to support the Yang family, March 31, 2006.
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Ia’s grandfather, March 31, 2006.
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A Yang elder member delivers the eulogy for Ia, March 31, 2006.
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Michael Rabar (left) was the director of Palm Memorial Chapel in Fresno, where the three funerals were held. His offer of a significant discount to the Yang family helped make it possible for these funerals to take place in a venue where no Hmong memorial had ever been held, thus building a bridge between communities, March 31, 2006.
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Chong Yang, his arm in a sling from an injury sustained while rescuing his family from the fire, watches as Ia’s casket is moved from the hearse to the burial site. Ia was his favorite daughter, March 31, 2006.
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Ia’s female cousins and relatives pay their final respects. March 31, 2006
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Ia’s male cousins and relatives pay their final respects, March 31, 2006
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(left to right) Ia’s aunt Mai Yang, her husband Cha, Ia’s sisters Kayoua and Macy Yang mourn her passing, March 31, 2006.
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Two of Ia’s highschool classmates watch her burial, March 31, 2006.
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May Yang, the eldest sister in the family, holds a photograph of Ia Yang. May was not present at the fire because she was already living on her own in Merced at the time, March 31, 2006.
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Ia’s sister Kayoua and her aunt Mai watch the burial, March 31, 2006
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A memorial posterboard made by Ia’s high school classmates is buried with the casket, March 31, 2006.
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Ia’s cousin shovels earth into the grave, March 31, 2006.
Shee Yang Funeral
April 1-3, 2006
Shee Yang, 22, was a senior at Fresno State University in Fresno when he died in a mobile home fire on March 19, 2006. In less than seven minutes, the deadly blaze completely destroyed the trailer, killing Shee and his nieces, Pakou, 13, and Ia (pronounced “E-yah”), 15.
Shee’s older brother, Chong Yang, heroically rescued his wife and seven of their children by smashing the trailer’s windows and pushing them out one by one. But Shee and the other two victims had already died by the time Chong was awakened by the fire.
Shee was poised to be the first in his family to graduate from college. His girlfriend, Vicki Cha was a senior at Fresno High School. They had plans to marry after graduation. With just two months to go before commencement ceremonies, Fresno State posthumously awarded Shee his Bachelor of Science degree.
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Shee’s grandmother (right) and his girlfriend, Vicki Cha (left) grieve their loss, April 1, 2006.
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Shee’s girlfriend, Viki Cha, grieves near his casket, April 1, 2006.
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Three members of the Yang family support each other in grief, April 1, 2006.
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A college classmate of Shee’s stands over his casket. Shee will be buried with a pair of brand new shoes for his journey to the homeland, April 3, 2006
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Men of the Yang family support each other in their shared grief, April 3, 2006.
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Blia Tou Yang, older brother of Chong and Shee Yang, cries for his lost brother, April 3, 2006.
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May Yang (left) comforts her father, Chong Yang, who mourns the loss of his youngest brother. The oldest daughter, May, was not present when the fire occurred because she was living in Merced , April 3, 2006.
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The new pair of shoes that will be buried with Shee Yang for his journey home. This is a very common Hmong burial custom, April 3, 2006.
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A qeej player (pronounced “keng”) chases dab (evil spirits, pronounced “dah!”) away from the hearse that will carry Shee’s casket, April 3, 2006.
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Pallbearers move Shee’s casket into the hearse, April 3, 2006.
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Flowers and a portrait of Shee Yang adorn the hearse that will carry him to the cemetery. Shee’s good looks had earned him a starring role in a recent Hmong movie filmed in Thailand. Photo: April 3, 2006.
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A mound of earth to be used for the burial, April 3, 2006.
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Doua Vang-Yang pays her respects to her husband’s younger brother, Shee, April 3, 2006.
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A mourner touches Shee’s casket, April 3, 2006.
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Vicki Cha, Shee’s girlfriend, holds a candle for her lost love, April 3, 2006.
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A mourner touches Shee Yang’s casket, April 3, 2006.
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A Yang relative holds a flower for Shee, April 3, 2006.
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A Yang relative holds a flower for Shee, April 3, 2006.
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Shee’s aunt, Doua Vang-Yang and his niece, Kayoua, both survivors of the fire, watch the burial, April 3, 2006.
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The shoes await burial to serve Shee on his journey home, April 3, 2006.
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Shee’s mother, Mrs. Blia Yang, holds his photo. Her older son, Chong, stands behind her, April 3, 2006.
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A community member holds a flower for Shee, April 3, 2006.
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Choua True Vang, a famous Hmong leader who has come from out of town for the funeral, talks with Ge Paul Yang, a Merced community leader, and his daughter, Paula, who coordinated fundraising and media relations for the Yang fire victims relief effort, April 3, 2006.
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The casket is lowered as flowers are tossed into the grave, April 3, 2006.
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More shovels of earth are added as the burial unfolds, April 3, 2006.
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Shee’s male relatives look on as his cousin shovels earth into the grave. Chong Yang, Shee’s older brother and fire survivor, still has his arm in a sling, April 3, 2006.
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Shee’s grandfather looks at the tombstone of an earlier Chinese immigrant who, coincidentally, had the same first name, April 3, 2006.
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A group of important Hmong clan leaders has come to Fresno for the funeral: (left to right, foreground) Lee Say Lee, Nao Kee Tao, “Grandpa” Chong Va Yang, Choua True Vang and Ge Paul Yang, April 3, 2006
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Wayne Vang plays a Hmong language song on a portable CD player as family members listen, April 3, 2006
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Another Hmong elder, Fay Teng Yang (in the gray jacket to the left), a cousin of Ge Paul Yang (in the gray jacket to the right), joins the group. Funerals are an important gathering point for the Hmong community, April 3, 2006.
Aftermath
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Three weeks after the accident, the Yang family revisited their former home. Chong Yang stands in the doorway of what was once his bedroom, April 9, 2006.
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Dozens of remaining candles, photos and bouquets of flowers reminded the family of all the support they received from the community. Fire investigators’ yellow barrier tape still hadn’t been removed from the scene, April 9, 2006.
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Vicki Cha (center) has found her boyfriend Shee’s personal notebook filled with journal entries and drawings. Macy Yang (left) reacts to the charred smell by covering her nose and mouth with her jacket and returning to the car, April 9, 2006.
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Kayoua Yang describes to Vicki Cha how the fire played out, April 9, 2006.
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Allysa Yang, the youngest child in the family at age three, still feels trauma in the aftermath of the fire, April 9, 2006.
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Paula Yang, a distant cousin of the family and organizer of their relief effort, holds a singed photo of some relatives taken in the High Sierra, April 9, 2006.