Kennewick fire that burned young father may be linked to welding work

The Kennewick Fire Department continues to investigate a Sunday morning garage fire that badly burned a young father, but it may be linked to his work on a pickup truck.

Matt Rinear was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was listed in serious condition in the ICU Monday.

Friends and family used social media posts to update concerned well-wishers.

They said he’d undergone surgery and expected his recovery would be long and difficult. An online fundraiser had raised nearly $1,200 of a $3,000 goal on a Facebook.

A neighbor told the Herald she heard two loud bangs just after midnight and came outside to find fire trucks gathered at the rental home Rinear shared with his wife Lovelle and two young children.

Then she saw her neighbor curled in pain on the ground. He was partially clothed, with serious burns over much of his body, she said.

Monday, plywood covered the damaged garage door at 2802 S. Underwood St. and a burned truck sat in the driveway with two other cars.

Deputy Fire Marshal Brian Ellis said the cause remains under investigation, but the department is following up on reports the victim may have been using welding equipment for a truck repair.

There were flames coming from the garage and smoke in the attic and the home interior when the Kennewick and Pasco fire departments and Benton County Fire District 1 arrived six minutes after the 911 calls.

Lovelle Rinear and the couple’s children were not injured.

This story was originally published July 29, 2019 at 12:49 PM.