MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. — Two women died Monday night in a fire at a condominium complex in Mountlake Terrace.
Crews responded to the 22700 block of Lakeview Drive after multiple 911 calls reported large flames around 10:20 p.m., according to South County Fire. The Lake Village Condominiums are located near Lake Ballinger.
The family of Audrey and Terry O'Hara say the mother and daughter died in the fire on Monday night.
"We recently experienced a devastating tragedy that has left us shattered emotionally," the family wrote on a crowdfunding site.
The women's townhouse was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived, fire officials said. At the fire's peak, 50 firefighters were on the scene, including crews from Shoreline Fire.
Investigators still do not know the cause of the fire, but believe the fire started on the outside of the condo that the women were in. Now ATF and the fire department are trying to figure out how this fire happened.
“Cause is really hard, especially when a fire is fully engulfed when we arrive, so that'll be hard to ascertain,” said Shawneri Guzman, a public information officer with South County Fire.
Neighbors told KING 5 that the victims were an elderly woman and her adult daughter.
“I thought I was having a nightmare because I came outside and smoke is just coming out,” said Cameron Ornella, who lives a few doors down from the fire.
“I ran screaming ‘Fire!’ and started banging on the doors and windows,” said Cindy Grub, who also lives near the condo that caught fire.
Neighbors said another woman lived in the condo with her mother and sister -- the two victims. Neighbors said the other woman was not home because she had taken her grandchildren to watch the fireworks show happening down the street.
“The flames were just shooting completely out of the next door and of hers, and I didn't know that there were two people inside upstairs,” said Grub.
A firefighter was treated for minor heat exertion at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
Three townhomes were damaged in the blaze, displacing six residents.
Firefighters across the region are on call, with parts of western Washington under a Red Flag Warning.
Hot, dry conditions combined with July Fourth activities, including fireworks have many officials encouraging residents to stick to attending large professional events to avoid the chance of sparking additional fires.
Over the weekend, another set of townhomes was destroyed in North Seattle due to an illegal personal firework. That fire is just one of a number across the region that have been attributed to fireworks.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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