West Richland man still in a Seattle hospital after fireworks destroy house

A West Richland man remains at a Seattle hospital after suffering serious burns in a fireworks fire in Richland on the Fourth of July.

Ryan Owens, 41, was with his mother at her home on the 1700 block of Gray Street when a fireworks mortar ignited inside the house at 8:30 p.m.

He and his mom, who has limited mobility because of health problems, got outside before Richland firefighters arrived.

However, Owens was seriously burned, and was flown to Harborview Medical Center.

On Thursday he was in satisfactory condition, according to hospital officials.

Richland firefighters investigated and confirmed the blaze started when fireworks went off inside the house, said Battalion Chief Brenda Rodgers.

The house, a prefab from the days when Richland was a federal government town, was destroyed.

The fire was one of more than a dozen during the July 4 weekend throughout Benton and Franklin counties.

This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 6:09 PM.