Moses Lake fire claims one
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 10 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | November 6, 2023 5:44 PM
MOSES LAKE — One person died in a fire in Moses Lake on Sunday, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Fire Department.
At approximately 10 p.m. Sunday, firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire on South Crestmont Drive in Moses Lake, according to a statement from the MLFD.
The structure was occupied at the time of the fire and three residents were able to escape, but, according to the statement, one resident was unable to escape due to smoke and heat from the fire.
The statement said that shortly after being dispatched to the fire, Multi-Agency Communications Center Dispatch notified responders that someone was still inside the residence. Crews arrived to find a two-story residence on fire, with flames and heavy black smoke from the front and the rear of the structure.
The MLFD performed a quick knockdown of the fire, said the statement, and it was brought under control at approximately 10:45 p.m.
It was not clear at press time who was in the home at the time. Officials often delay releasing the names of those involved in such instances to allow families time to notify relatives and mourn. The Columbia Basin Herald respects the victims’ privacy and will not publish the names until the family consents to such.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
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