In a hurry to get to relatives in Indio, they double parked the car outside Christine's home. Julio and Christina, their daughter, Priscilla, and her child, Jonathan, ran in to drop off the presents.

Police reports state that as Angel Gonzalez Lazcano made his way up the street he first hit a car while running a stop sign, then careened off another car before slamming into the Montalvo carload of children.

Instantly, both vehicles burst into flames. Julio and Christina Montalvo watched helplessly as four of their children burned to death in front of their eyes.

In the Montalvo car, twins Adrian and Adriana, 8, burned to death in the front seat. Julio Jr., 15, battled his way out of the car only to collapse and die within a few feet.

A passing bystander, Michael 'One Bear' Cordova, dove into the inferno and pulled out Marcos, 9, then went back and pulled out Michelle, 14.

Lazcano, with three prior drunk-driving convictions, knew he was in trouble. With his hair and clothes in flames he ran from the car, jumped a fence and fled the scene. Police soon found him and later discovered part of his charred hand on the fence post. All three were airlifted to the San Bernardino County Burn Unit.

Neither Marcos nor Michelle were expected to live. Christina recalls holding her daughter's charred hand: "I said, 'Michelle, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand,' and she did. Then I said, 'If you're trying to live squeeze my hand,' and she didn't squeeze it."

Eleven days later Michelle died.

Christina prayed feverishly for her last son to remain in her care. She talked to him and told him to fight for his life. She tried the hand test with Marcos and to her great relief, he returned the squeeze. He wanted to live. But on Christmas Day 1992, the life that he had known as an impish 9-year old was barbarously taken from him forever.