MARYSVILLE — The Harbecks huddled together Wednesday and watched firefighters shovel ashes out the shattered window of what was left of their living room.
Greg and Kelley Harbeck had just moved into the two-story house with their five children. They were looking forward to celebrating their first Christmas there. The tree was already decorated.
A fire destroyed much of the home Wednesday morning. Fire investigators continue to search for the cause of the blaze, Marysville Fire Department spokeswoman Stephanie Price said. It appears the fire started in the living room, where there was an artificial Christmas tree, but investigators weren’t able to determine what caused the room to ignite, she said.
Neighbors saw flames shooting from a large window in the front of the house, located in the 8800 block of 47th Drive NE. Firefighters arrived shortly after 8 a.m. to find the house engulfed by the blaze. Flames were shooting 15 feet in the air.
No one was at home. The youngest children, 8 and 9, had left for school shortly before the fire broke out.
“My neighbor called and asked if I was sitting down. I asked her if there was something wrong with the kids,” Kelley Harbeck said. “She told me our house had burned down.”
Friends drove her home. The fire spread through most of the house. Only the garage appeared untouched by the blaze.
The Harbecks moved from Idaho in September. They are renting the house and don’t have renters’ insurance.
Neighbors are planning to help the family with food, clothing and shelter. The Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross also is providing assistance.
“It’s a perfect neighborhood,” Kelley Harbeck said. “It’s safe and now I don’t know where we’re going to live.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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