Community rallies to help family of 2 children who died in Prosser mobile home fire

Two separate fundraisers have been started for the Prosser family who lost two children in a house fire early Thursday.

Jesus Gonzalez, 10, and his 7-year-old sister, Heidy, were asleep alone in the home when an overloaded electrical outlet reportedly sparked a fire.

Their parents are farm workers, and authorities were told a babysitter was supposed to be with the Gonzalez family’s children.

“That family is really going through a hard time,” Benton County Sheriff’s Lt. Erik Magnuson told the Tri-City Herald.

“We have people who have been calling in. Actually, that day there was a big outpouring from people calling Red Cross or dispatch, ‘How do we do this?’” said Magnuson. “We’ve started receiving a few (donations) and I hope it continues for them. It’s just a tragic situation.”

The Benton County Sheriff Foundation is offering several options to help the family.

Donations of cash, check or debit/credit card can be made between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in person at the sheriff’s office in the Benton County Justice Center, 7122 W. Okanogan Place in Kennewick, or card payments over the phone at 509-735-6555.

The foundation website also has a “donate” button, with donors asked to note the money is intended for the Gonzalez family.

And checks can be mailed to the Benton County Sheriff Foundation, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., #176, Kennewick, WA 99336. The check should be made out to the foundation in care of the family.

Also, a GoFundMe account started Friday afternoon said, “(T)hese little angels lost their lives to a house fire. If you would like to help raise money for their funeral expenses, please donate here.”

Heidy’s name was misspelled on the account page.

The fire started shortly before 6 a.m. on a covered porch, where an air conditioner was plugged into an outlet.

“Right now, with a pretty good amount of certainty, it looks like it was the electrical issue and there doesn’t appear to be anything else,” said Magnuson.

The sheriff’s office Facebook post Thursday said the first officers on scene found the single-wide trailer fully engulfed.

“The original information was that the parents had previously left for work and the residence was unoccupied,” the posting said. “It was quickly learned there were two children inside ....”

Crews with West Benton Fire and Rescue searched the home and found the brother and sister.

The girl was pronounced dead after paramedics performed CPR “for a period of time,” the sheriff’s office said.

The boy was taken to Prosser Memorial Health, where he died.

Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday morning, according to Benton County Coroner Bill Leach.

While investigators are not yet saying if the home had smoke detectors, Leach wanted to remind everyone to make sure they are installed in their homes and to maintain other safety measures.

This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 7:38 PM.