2 dogs die when flames destroy 3 more homes at site of weekend’s fatal RV fire

Two dogs died and four people are without a place to live after a second fire at a Kennewick RV park in less than a week.

The blaze that swept through a single-wide mobile home as well as a travel trailer and a fifth-wheel camper on Tuesday night, in the second fire at the Tri-Cities RV Park since Saturday.

The park at 7322 W. Bonnie Ave. just off of Highway 240 was the scene of a tragic fire Saturday morning that killed an 8-year-old and left her 14-year-old brother in intensive care.

Then late Tuesday, a 911 caller reported that another trailer was on fire about 9:30 p.m., Kennewick fire Chief Chad Michael said in a news release.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered a single-wide mobile home engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to a 27-foot fifth wheel camper and a 35-foot travel trailer. Both were within feet of the mobile home.

As they were responding, callers said no one was inside the homes, but there were two dogs trapped. Police officers, who were first on the scene, knocked on the doors of one of the trailers to check if anyone was inside.

Officers also checked at the surrounding homes to make sure that everyone was OK.

It took about 26 minutes for the firefighters on the scene to extinguish the blaze. Michael said more than 22 firefighters were on the scene including crews from Kennewick, Benton County Fire District 1 and Richland.

Firefighters weren’t able to save the animals but they kept the fire from spreading to other homes. No people were hurt.

The four people living in the homes found temporary places to stay.

Investigators were at the RV park on Wednesday morning working to investigate what started the fire. The cause of Saturday’s fire also has not been determined, though a space heater was a possible cause.

Sunday’s fire

Tuesday’s blaze comes as the 14-year-old boy recovers from burns at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

A GoFundMe aimed at helping the family had raised more than $58,000 in donations from the community by Wednesday.

The fundraiser’s organizer, Mayra Alexandra Quintero, said Lotar has seen significant improvement since he was admitted to the hospital and he no longer needs a feeding tube or ventilator.

“Doctors are impressed with how fast he is improving,” she told the Herald. “They are hopeful he’ll be out of the ICU by this weekend.”

While he is improving, he is expected to be in the hospital for the next six weeks.

The family was grateful for the love and support they were receiving, she said.

Lotar and his sister Naomi were asleep when the fire started just after 11 a.m.

The children’s parents, Hector and Monica Escobar-Chimal, were at work. Hector is a circus performer and was out of the state, said Quintero’s post.

She said the children’s mom had kissed them on her way to work that morning and said she loved them.

When neighbors saw the smoke, they tried to open the RV’s door, but found it locked, Quintero wrote. Then they broke a window and helped Lotar out just as emergency responders arrived.

A Kennewick police officer who tried to get inside to Naomi ended up with minor burns.

Firefighters ended up forcing open the RV and pulling out the girl but she died later at the hospital.