Family escapes fire Friday in Kennewick

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• Fatal fires have Tri-Cities officials urging smoking safety

  Fatal fires have Tri-Cities officials urging smoking safety

  Two fatal fires in Kennewick that may have been sparked by cigarettes have fire officials urging people to be safe when they smoke and to use appropriate ashtrays.

  "It just keeps coming back to careless smoking," said Kennewick Fire Marshal Mark Yaden.

  On Thursday, Yaden was able to conclude the cause of the Jan. 23 blaze at a mobile home likely was caused by a cigarette left smoldering on a couch.

• 71-year-old injured in Kennewick motel fire

  71-year-old injured in Kennewick motel fire

  KENNEWICK -- A 71-year-old woman was severely burned Sunday morning after a fire started inside her room at Cedars Inn and Suites in Kennewick.

  The Yakima resident was apparently smoking in bed, which ignited bedding and clothing, according to the Kennewick police and fire departments.

  The fire started about 5 a.m. at 602 N. Young St. When firefighters arrived, the motel staff already had all occupants accounted for and were evacuating the building, according to a news release.

• Kennewick car fire considered suspicious

  Kennewick car fire considered suspicious

  Kennewick fire investigators are looking for witnesses who may have seen the start of a vehicle fire early Friday on West 16th Avenue.

  Firefighters and police were called at 1:13 a.m. to 2302 W. 16th Ave., and when they got on scene flames had spread from the car to a nearby boat, said Fire Marshal Mark Yaden.

  The outside wall of a garage attached to the home was also beginning to catch fire, he said. Two adults in the home were able to safely evacuate after a neighbor alerted them about the blaze. The car and boat were destroyed, and some siding on the garage burned. Damages are estimated at $10,000, Yaden said.

• Kennewick brush fires blamed on kids

  Kennewick brush fires blamed on kids

  Kennewick firefighters battled two brush fires in a small canyon Saturday that investigators say were started intentionally by kids, ages 12 and 13, playing with fireworks.

  Crews were dispatched to the first fire at 8:38 a.m. near Canyon View Elementary, 1229 W. 22nd Place.

  It took 12 firefighters about two hours to extinguish the blaze that burned trees, dead vegetation and grass clippings in the canyon behind the school, said Fire Marshal Mark Yaden.

• Woman dies in Kennewick mobile home fire (w/ gallery)

  Woman dies in Kennewick mobile home fire (w/ gallery)

  A neighbor at a Kennewick mobile home park where a fatal fire erupted early Monday said that all he saw was "a wall of yellow flames" when he looked out his window after police woke him up.

  "It's a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach," said Edward Hall, 51, who lives next door to the single-wide mobile home at 4815 W. Clearwater Ave.

  One of his neighbors was able to climb out of a bedroom window, but officials believe the woman's mother died inside. The woman who escaped suffered serious injuries, officials said.