LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Neighbors at a Lakewood mobile home park are coming together, as investigators continue to look into what caused a deadly brush fire last week that killed two people and left several others displaced.
"It's like a monster kind of scare, just because you never know what's going to happen," said John Mclaughlin, who lived at the Jamestown Estates for the last 20 years.
What started as a brush fire turned deadly as it tore through the mobile home park last Friday afternoon. Two beloved members of this tight-knit community died in the fire. Neighbors said the victims are a man in his 80s and another man in his 30s.
"No one needs to go out like that,” said Mclaughlin. “No one."
The fire destroyed nine homes and damaged several others. Despite this dark aftermath, there’s now a bright spot just feet away from the destruction.
"We're all kind of bonded together as a community, we're creating our own hope," said Michael Martin. Shortly after he and his wife’s home was destroyed, they received much-needed support from friends. "But we quickly realized, they were so generous, that we had more than just we could use," said Martin.
So, they put the remainder of the donations out for other neighbors who are in the same spot. "We've all gone from the clothes on our backs to tables and bins and we've all kind of been able to start rebuilding," said Martin.
He said other community members, groups and churches have also donated clothes since Sunday.
Meanwhile officials with the Red Cross said it's currently helping 27 people impacted by last week’s fire, providing them with emergency needs and connecting them with the resources they need to get back on their feet.
“I’ve been saying for a long time that all you need in life is hope and grit,” said Martin. “I think we’ve all shown that we got plenty of that.”
The cause of this fire is under investigation. Lakewood Police said it could take weeks before the investigation is complete. As far as the victim's identities, that information has yet to be released.
Here are online fundraisers set up for victims who lost their homes in the fire: