Marysville shelter steps up to house 10 residents displaced from fire

Published 11:18 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026

EVERETT — After a fire displaced residents of a home for adults with developmental disabilities late Monday night, the Marysville Cold Weather Shelter provided beds for 10 displaced residents.

Around 9 p.m. Monday, firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire at Harmony House North on Cedar Avenue in Marysville, according to a Marysville Fire District press release. Upon arrival, crews found flames in the second-floor apartment kitchen that had extended into the attic.

A resident used a fire extinguisher while neighbors called 911, which helped limit damage to the building, the release said.

First responders safely evacuated all 14 residents and their pets, the release said. No injuries were reported.

Damage to the apartment complex is estimated to be more than $100,000, the release said.

Ten of the residents did not have somebody who could take them in, so Marysville Fire District Fire Marshal Thomas Maloney contacted the Marysville Cold Weather Shelter, according to a Living IN Community Northwest press release. The shelter, which is authorized to run from Nov. 1 to March 31, was open for the last time this season due to the expectation of low temperatures overnight.

“What a way to end a season by being able to help these additional people,” said Nathan Ray, LINC NW’s emergency weather shelter director, in an interview Tuesday.

Approximately 50 individuals were already at the shelter, the release said. Supervisor Kathie Knight and volunteer Jan Barnes, a board member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church where the shelter is hosted, worked with the Marysville Fire District to create a space for the displaced residents to stay for the night.

Ray worked over the phone with Maloney and Knight to “ensure that everything was in order,” the release said. Marysville Fire District staff stayed through the night to help shelter staff keep all guests safe.

The American Red Cross is also assisting the displaced residents, said the Marysville Fire District’s press release.

For the shelter, the collaboration was a testament to the “power of the relationship that we have with the community,” Ray said.

“The cold weather shelter is available for anyone who needs it,” he said. “And so we’re very glad that we happened to be open when this fire happened and able to help those people.”

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan