It was the screams of Tess Alexander’s 3-year-old grandson Gabe that alerted her to the fire in her St. Paul apartment and it’s the screams of her daughter that haunt her nearly two months later.

Alexander ran through the flames to scoop up the boy. And as she hollered for her 27-year-old daughter to get out, Alexander searched for another grandson, 2-year-old William Mangan.

“I couldn’t find William,” said Alexander on Friday, crying as she recalled the fire from January. “I couldn’t see anything because the fire was so bad. I tried finding him, but I couldn’t and I had to get Gabe out of there.”

Alexander, 47, attempted to open the front door, but it was jammed. She had to run through the fire again, clutching Gabe Alexander closely to her chest, trying to cover and protect him.

The fire killed Alexander’s daughter, Tiffany Alexander, and Tiffany’s son, William.

Tess and Gabe Alexander — the child of Tess’ son — were both severely burned and spent weeks in the hospital.

On Sunday, friends and family are holding a fundraiser for Tess Alexander as she tries to get back on her feet. They want to help her cover medical expenses, find a new place to live, and be able to care for Tiffany’s 3-year-old daughter, Destinee.

“She’s all I have left of my daughter,” Tess Alexander said.

The cause of the Payne-Phalen fire remains under investigation, the St. Paul fire marshal said Friday. Investigators determined it was not suspicious.

When the fire broke out in a fourplex at 1035 Arkwright St. about 9:20 a.m. on Jan. 25, Tess Alexander had just woken up. Her mother had called, saying she was almost there to pick her up for work.

Tiffany Alexander had been sleeping in a bedroom and William was asleep in the living room, but Tess couldn’t find William as she searched for him in the black smoke — it was so thick she could barely see.

Tess Alexander made it out the back door with Gabe and collapsed in the snow, pleading with her mother and a neighbor to help her daughter and other grandson. But the smoke and flames were too much for anyone to get inside until firefighters arrived.

“I could hear my daughter was screaming for me inside. And I tried getting up to save her, but I couldn’t,” said Tess Alexander.

Tess Alexander was in a coma for about three weeks after the fire. When she woke up, she received the horrific news about the deaths. A combined funeral for Tiffany Alexander and her son was three days later.

“It was a horrible situation because, for starters, the fire alarms didn’t work and Tess had problems with the front door, so she was pretty much trapped,” said Laurie Jessen, Tess’ sister. “She has nightmares every night with her daughter yelling her name. … She wasn’t in a situation to save Tiffany and William, but she was a hero for getting Gabe out.”

Tess and Gabe Alexander were released from the hospital in February and they continue to recover. Burns that cover Alexander’s back have become infected and doctors may have to amputate two of her fingers.

“I’m taking it day by day, but it’s really hard,” Alexander said Friday. “We’re trying to start to heal.”

IF YOU GO

What: Benefit for Tess Alexander

When: Sunday, March 19, 1-4 p.m.

Where: Sherwood Lounge, 1418 White Bear Ave., St. Paul

Details: Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door (call Laurie Jessen at 651-354-9307 for advance tickets). The cost includes food and entry into a raffle for a 50-inch television. People can also donate at gofundme.com/benefit-for-tess-alexander.