BELLINGHAM – A Bellingham couple and the family dog died when a 70- to 80-foot tree fell on and crushed their SUV as they drove southbound on Lake Whatcom Boulevard Sunday in Bellingham.
Oliver G. Larson, 69, his wife, Mary I. Scott-Larson, 45, and their dog died at the scene, State Patrol troopers said.
Witnesses driving behind the SUV and on the opposite side of the road saw the tree snap, fall across the street and land on the couple’s 1998 white Ford Explorer XLT about 12:15 p.m.
Firefighters cut the tree to remove it from the SUV and used the “jaws of life” to pry the roof of the Explorer open, said Trooper Jim Van Diest. The investigation is continuing, but Van Diest said strong winds may have been a factor. The National Weather Service said wind gusts were recorded at 20 to 25 miles per hour between noon and 1 p.m. in the Bellingham area Sunday.
Associated Press
Bellevue: Dogs alert owners to garage fire
A pair of dogs alerted their sleeping owners to a fire that was threatening to rip through their home early Saturday morning.
The fire was burning in the home’s attached garage, where the dogs sleep. As the fire raged, the dogs scratched on the door until they roused their owners.
When the man and woman opened the door that separates the house and the garage, “the dogs bolted,” Bellevue fire Lt. Bruce Kroon said.
The woman called 911 and the man tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, but he was unsuccessful.
Bellevue firefighters were able to contain the fire to the garage.
Fire officials estimate the damage to the home and its contents at $300,000. The garage and a car were totaled, Kroon said. No one was injured.
King County Journal
Pasco: Puppy found in garbage bin
A whimpering 2-month-old pit bull was found Friday in a Pasco trash bin as a garbage disposal worker prepared to dump it into his truck, officials reported.
The male puppy is the third dog discovered in a trash bin in Pasco this year.
The driver was picking up trash at an apartment complex about 9 a.m. when he spotted the puppy, said Bruce Young, executive director of Tri-City Animal Control. The driver notified a maintenance worker on the property, who then contacted animal control.
The pit bull could have been killed by the garbage disposal equipment had the worker not seen the puppy, Young said.
The pit bull is emaciated and dehydrated but had no injuries, Young said.
Animal control officials have dubbed him Oscar, after the trash loving Sesame Street character Oscar the Grouch.
Tri-City Herald
Oregon: Two people injured in avalanche
An avalanche in the Central Oregon Cascades injured two hikers Sunday afternoon, the authorities said.
The victims were plucked from the 10,085-foot North Sister by Black Hawk helicopters sent by the Oregon National Guard. The hikers were taken to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, where they were being treated for injuries that are considered critical, said Kay Fristad, a Guard spokeswoman. A hospital spokeswoman said she had no information about the hikers.
One Black Hawk helicopter retrieved a 40-year-old woman from about the 8,000-foot mark, Fristad said. A second helicopter got a man who is about the same age, Fristad said.
Associated Press
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