Published: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Lynnwood families left with little after apartment fire
Red Cross comes to the aid of people left homeless
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Grayt Kamau, 3, checks out a Red Cross disaster relief truck Tuesday afternoon in Lynnwood. The boy and his family are among those whose homes were burned in a fire Monday at the Lynnview Apartments.
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Crews work on the burned remains of the apartments on Tuesday afternoon. The 1969 building predates local fire codes.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Rayshawn Cordero (right) plays with her son Keahi before her husband Apache Keawe-Aiko (left) takes him out for a walk at the Red Cross shelter Tuesday afternoon.
LYNNWOOD -- Kevin Johnson and Lupe Lomu were at the checkout buying groceries Monday when his cell phone rang. Their apartment complex was on fire.
The Lynnwood couple raced out of the supermarket, leaving their food behind. As they neared home, they could smell the destruction.
It took just one glimpse to realize the fire had taken everything.
"That's all I have," Johnson said Tuesday, pointing to a donated red-striped shirt lying on a cot at a makeshift American Red Cross shelter.
The fire caused an estimated $3 million in damage. It emptied 37 units and left several families homeless.
Johnson and Lomu were among the refugees who made the carpeted Trinity Lutheran Church gym their temporary quarters after Monday's massive fire at the Lynnview Apartments.
Gone is the money the young couple had been saving for the birth of their first child, expected in February. Family photos and special childhood memories also went up in flames.
"Even my new grill got barbecued," Johnson said, managing a laugh.
Johnson, a toy collector, lost his mint condition collections of Hot Wheels cars and G.I. Joe action figures.
"It was just a hobby but a hobby I was really passionate about," he said "It's a small thing to most people, but a big deal to me."
Mainly, the couple worries about their 6-week-old kitten. They hope Snowflake fled to safety.
On Tuesday afternoon firefighters were able to enter the unit where the fire started, said LeRoy McNulty, Lynnwood fire marshal. They expect to spend the next few days gathering evidence.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Witnesses told officials someone was cooking French fries or using a deep fryer when the fire started, but that information hasn't been confirmed, he said.
Before they even got to the scene Monday, Lynnwood firefighters knew they were in for trouble, Training Capt. Gregg Sieloff said Tuesday.
They considered the 41-year-old complex unsafe enough that they staged training drills there three times a year. They also used computers to simulate someone trapped on a burning Lynnview balcony.
"We've all at one time or another had a drill in that building," he said. "Unfortunately, in this case, we saw that that building had a lot of issues."
The 1969 building predates local fire codes. There were smoke detectors but no sprinklers inside, and access was rough for fire crews. Even in practice, it was difficult to get ladders up to the building, Sieloff said. The complex is abutted by a strip mall, a hillside and an alleyway draped with power lines. "You don't want to shoot water through power lines," Sieloff said.
Normally, firefighters try to get their trucks within 150 feet. But at Lynnview, they couldn't park that close for fear the heat would melt the trucks. Trees dotting the property also kept catching fire Monday evening.
In addition, the closest fire hydrants were across the street, requiring crews to snake hoses over the road and up the driveway, creating additional street hazards.
Firefighters were lucky the Lynnview parking lot was mostly empty Monday afternoon, Sieloff said. If more people had been home from work, it's unlikely that multiple fire engines would have fit.
"Once (the flames) got outside, it was just a free-for-all," he said. "I'm surprised there's even still a fourth floor on the building."
On Tuesday, Snohomish County Red Cross officials gathered information on victims' immediate needs. The Red Cross was working to find people new lodgings and items such as blankets, food, eyeglasses, cell phone chargers and prescription drugs they might have lost.
Hannah Kamau managed to retrieve her handbag and sandals before fleeing. Her husband was barefoot and her 3-year-old son, Grayt, wore a pair of socks.
Kamau said she was grateful for the shelter, food and help her family received Tuesday.
The Kenyan immigrants are most concerned about lost documents.
"I don't know what will happen for us," she said.
The hardest part, she said, was watching the fire spread to consume their apartment, too.
"We said, 'Please God, make the fire stop,' " she said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
How to help
Those seeking to donate money, clothing and other items to people displaced by the fire should contact the Snohomish County chapter of the American Red Cross at 425-252-4103.
The Lynnwood couple raced out of the supermarket, leaving their food behind. As they neared home, they could smell the destruction.
It took just one glimpse to realize the fire had taken everything.
"That's all I have," Johnson said Tuesday, pointing to a donated red-striped shirt lying on a cot at a makeshift American Red Cross shelter.
The fire caused an estimated $3 million in damage. It emptied 37 units and left several families homeless.
Johnson and Lomu were among the refugees who made the carpeted Trinity Lutheran Church gym their temporary quarters after Monday's massive fire at the Lynnview Apartments.
Gone is the money the young couple had been saving for the birth of their first child, expected in February. Family photos and special childhood memories also went up in flames.
"Even my new grill got barbecued," Johnson said, managing a laugh.
Johnson, a toy collector, lost his mint condition collections of Hot Wheels cars and G.I. Joe action figures.
"It was just a hobby but a hobby I was really passionate about," he said "It's a small thing to most people, but a big deal to me."
Mainly, the couple worries about their 6-week-old kitten. They hope Snowflake fled to safety.
On Tuesday afternoon firefighters were able to enter the unit where the fire started, said LeRoy McNulty, Lynnwood fire marshal. They expect to spend the next few days gathering evidence.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Witnesses told officials someone was cooking French fries or using a deep fryer when the fire started, but that information hasn't been confirmed, he said.
Before they even got to the scene Monday, Lynnwood firefighters knew they were in for trouble, Training Capt. Gregg Sieloff said Tuesday.
They considered the 41-year-old complex unsafe enough that they staged training drills there three times a year. They also used computers to simulate someone trapped on a burning Lynnview balcony.
"We've all at one time or another had a drill in that building," he said. "Unfortunately, in this case, we saw that that building had a lot of issues."
The 1969 building predates local fire codes. There were smoke detectors but no sprinklers inside, and access was rough for fire crews. Even in practice, it was difficult to get ladders up to the building, Sieloff said. The complex is abutted by a strip mall, a hillside and an alleyway draped with power lines. "You don't want to shoot water through power lines," Sieloff said.
Normally, firefighters try to get their trucks within 150 feet. But at Lynnview, they couldn't park that close for fear the heat would melt the trucks. Trees dotting the property also kept catching fire Monday evening.
In addition, the closest fire hydrants were across the street, requiring crews to snake hoses over the road and up the driveway, creating additional street hazards.
Firefighters were lucky the Lynnview parking lot was mostly empty Monday afternoon, Sieloff said. If more people had been home from work, it's unlikely that multiple fire engines would have fit.
"Once (the flames) got outside, it was just a free-for-all," he said. "I'm surprised there's even still a fourth floor on the building."
On Tuesday, Snohomish County Red Cross officials gathered information on victims' immediate needs. The Red Cross was working to find people new lodgings and items such as blankets, food, eyeglasses, cell phone chargers and prescription drugs they might have lost.
Hannah Kamau managed to retrieve her handbag and sandals before fleeing. Her husband was barefoot and her 3-year-old son, Grayt, wore a pair of socks.
Kamau said she was grateful for the shelter, food and help her family received Tuesday.
The Kenyan immigrants are most concerned about lost documents.
"I don't know what will happen for us," she said.
The hardest part, she said, was watching the fire spread to consume their apartment, too.
"We said, 'Please God, make the fire stop,' " she said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
How to help
Those seeking to donate money, clothing and other items to people displaced by the fire should contact the Snohomish County chapter of the American Red Cross at 425-252-4103.
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