3 people killed in Thurston County house fire early Saturday
Detectives are working with fire officials to determine the cause of an early Saturday morning fire that killed three people in Rainier, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
About 1:20 a.m. Saturday, fire crews were dispatched to the 16100 block of Village Drive Southeast in Rainier. They arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.
A woman in her early 20s was able to get out of the house, but three others did not. A couple in their 40s and a 3-year-old girl who was identified in the news release as the couple’s granddaughter, died in the fire.
Southeast Thurston Fire Authority Chief Mark King told KIRO TV that firefighters saw flames shooting in the air anywhere from 70 to 80 feet. King said because the house was down a cul-de-sac with a narrow dirt road, accessibility was difficult. There also was no nearby water supply.
“There’s no hydrant, so you’re having to bring in water on wheels essentially. And that creates a limited dynamic in that situation being that far out,” King told KIRO.
The three fire victims have yet to be identified, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said Sunday.
This story was originally published January 23, 2022 at 9:59 AM.
