CURLEW, Wash. -- A father is reeling at the thought his two young girls and their grandmother might have burned alive in an apartment fire in Curlew. The three are still being called missing but Ferry County investigators say they found bones in the rubble. But they don't know if they are human or animal.
14 families escaped the flames that broke out around 5:00 a.m. Tuesday. The fire grew so fast that some people were forced to jump to safety right out of their apartment windows. Officials say three people were taken to the hospital with injuries as result of this fire.
John Ryken is at Harborview Medical Center watching over his wife, Amanda, who was severely burned. He says he got a text from his sister-in-law in the middle of the night about the fire.
"It's Christmas Eve! My kids should be getting ready to go to bed waiting for Santa Claus," said Ryken.
3-year-old Helen Brown, 2-year-old Gale Ryken, and their grandmother are still missing. John is still waiting for confirmation from police that his two baby girls died in the fire. Through out all of this, he still has one member of his family left, his wife. Although they have been separated for close to a year, and live in separate cities, he says she is the reason he can function.
"Trust me, this is not easy. But right now, the thing that keeps me going is the fact that there's one life up there that can be saved through all of this," said Ryken.
Amanda is alive because she jumped from the second story window of her apartment. She was on fire. Over 60% of her body is burned. She is stable but in critical condition and unconscious.
John says he can't imagine how anyone could go through a tragedy like this during the holiday season. The family has set up a fund to help with funeral expenses and medical care for Amanda. If you'd like to donate, go to any Washington Trust Bank and reference the Curlew Ryken Family Fire Victims Fund. Or you can mail to Washington Trust Bank at P.O. Box 2127 Spokane, WA 99210.
