Family escapes Christmas fire unharmed

By Todd C. Frankel

For the Enterprise

EDMONDS – It was the early morning hours of Christmas Day, and Laurrienne Moss’s house was on fire.

But rather than this turning into the worst kind of tragedy, the five people inside escaped unscathed and the fire was contained before a swarm of 12 firefighters arrived.

Even the presents, resting nearby under the tree, survived.

So Christmas morning in the Moss household went off without a hitch, except for some rattled nerves, lost sleep and minimal fire damage.

“What could’ve been scares me a lot,” Moss, 48, said hours later.

A gold-colored candle accidentally left burning throughout the night on the fireplace mantel is blamed for causing the fire in the 1000 block of Brookmere Drive, on the cusp of downtown Edmonds.

Moss had set up an elaborate Nutcracker theme in her living room, complete with wood Nutcracker dolls, several candles, greenery and a wreath. Long after the family Christmas Eve party and everyone was asleep, the one candle apparently burnt down low enough to ignite the greenery. It was about 4:50 a.m.

Upstairs, Moss’ 12-year-old daughter, Eve, heard the smoke alarm blaring. She and her sister, Greta, 11, ran to wake up their mother, their brother and his girlfriend.

They also gathered the pet parakeet Bizzbee and golden retriever Daisy before making it outside.

Moss’ son Jason Marquez, 22, who was home for the holidays from flight school at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, threw several bowls of water on the growing fire before running outside, too.

Six minutes later, two fire engines, a ladder truck, two aid cars and other vehicles from Edmonds and Lynnwood Fire Departments arrived.

Moss could sense their dread at arriving at the scene of such potential loss and misery on Christmas Day. But the fire was out, having never escaped the room.

“I felt guilty,” she said. “I really did.”

Damage to the home was estimated at about $2,000.

Todd C. Frankel is a reporter for the Herald in Everett.