VERNON HILLS, Ill. — An apartment fire in Vernon Hills Sunday claimed the lives of two, including a woman who has left a mother and son behind.

Family members have identified 33-year-old Camille Lozano as one of the victims who died at a Vernon Hills apartment building early Sunday morning.

“She was very strong, very smart and very loving. A very loving daughter and a very loving mother,” Lozano’s mother Theresa Lujan said.

Lozano’s mother explains that Camille died as she lived, always putting others before her. Lujan said in her final moments, her daughter alerted neighbors of the fire.

“Instead of going downstairs which would’ve saved her,” Lujan said. “She continued upstairs to help the neighbor that lived upstairs and that was another person that passed away.”

According to the Lake Count Coroner’s Office, Lozano and 39-year-old Polly Jenson, of Vernon Hills, both died due to thermal and inhalational injuries.

Marcus Schmidt, Camille Lozano’s son, was sleeping over at his grandparents when the fire happened. His heart breaks knowing he’ll never see his mother again, but he’s not surprised to hear of her valiant actions.

“Everyone loved her,” Schmidt said. “She knew everyone in the neighborhood.”

Flames tore through the three-story building along South Court of Shorewood around 3:15 a.m. on Sunday.

Since then, the multi-unit apartment building has been boarded up and declared uninhabitable.

It’s still unclear how many people were displaced because of this fire, but two people have been confirmed dead.

“I still can’t believe it. I believe I’m still in a nightmare,” Lujan said.

Lozano’s mother has no choice but to look ahead without her daughter and Marcus is forced to grow up without his mother.

But, they said Camille touched so many people with her kindness and generous heart and that brings them some comfort.

“Her legacy will live on because she showed a very good example to my grandson and I will try to continue to do the things she would’ve liked.”