On an emotional night that was filled with tears, more than 100 people braved the bitter cold Sunday to remember a 9-year-old girl who died in a Brooklyn house fire.

The vigil was set up alongside a memorial of teddy bears, flowers and balloons and allowed friends and other members of the community to show support for the devastated family who lost Payton Thompson.

“We love you Gina,” several people chanted as they gathered outside Payton’s boarded up home in Brownsville.

The vigil marked the first time that the young girl’s distraught mother, Regina Belle, and heartbroken grandmother, Estell Thompson, had spoken publicly about the three-alarm house fire early Friday morning. 

Belle said her daughter was so sweet and so smart, and that Payton would often use her iPad to check in on those she loved. 

“The last thing I remember her texting was ‘I love you so much,’” Belle said. “I brushed it off because she was playing so much, not knowing that would be the last time my baby would ever be able to tell me she loved me.”

Estell Thompson is a woman of faith, serving as a pastor at Faith Tabernacle of Deliverance in Crown Heights. 

While she thanked the crowd for their support, she also acknowledged the conflict she feels with God’s decision. 

“Her job is over,” said Thompson. “Her job is finished. If God wanted her here, he would kept her. God’s will has been done. Do I like it? No! But I have to accept it.”

The FDNY is investigating the cause of Friday’s tragic fire.  

While nine members of Payton’s family were able to escape the fire, officials say Payton was found unresponsive in a third-floor bedroom. 

She was then rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. 

Payton’s uncle, Joseph Thompson, has described his niece as a child who loved her family, who loved to have fun, who loved to dance, and who loved God.

He offered this supportive crowd a piece of advice. 

“Make sure you hug your babies,” he said. “Kiss them a lot, not just your babies, your brothers and sisters, because you never know if the next time is the last time.” 

To help cover the cost for the funeral, housing and other unexpected expenses, the family has set up a GoFundMe page.