Mother and 2 daughters still in bedroom when Benton City fire overcame them
A Benton City mother was still in the bedroom with her two daughters feet away from the door when they died, the initial investigation has found.
Sheriff’s deputies are still investigating what caused the fire that tore through a mobile home killing a mother and her three children at the Green Acres Mobile Home and RV Park early Thursday.
Marcaria Martinez-Garcia, 32, and her three kids, Luz Garcia-Martinez, 17, Luis Garcia-Martinez, 15, and Michelle Garcia-Martinez, 6, died in the blaze.
Firefighters found Marcaria and her daughters in the bedroom and Luis was in the bathroom when they went into the home at space 33, Benton County Coroner Bill Leach said on Friday.
The family has just moved in and were staying at the home for the first time when the fire started in the front part of the home just before 1 a.m.
Neighbor Faustino Lopez told the Herald he woke up to sounds of the explosions and raced outside and saw flames about 20 to 30 feet high.
The fire was burning a nearby trailer when Benton County Fire District 2 firefighters and sheriff’s deputies arrived.
While the front of the Martinez’s home was destroyed, firefighters prevented the blaze from reaching the back section.
It’s unclear whether the home had smoke alarms. The Benton County sheriff’s officials visited the trailer park last year as part of an effort to get smoke alarms into trailers after two children died in an early morning fire in Prosser.
While all of the homes in the park are privately-owned, there isn’t a record of the Martinez family buying the property. The single-wide manufactured home was made in 1962 and last sold in 2015, according to online Benton County Assessor’s Office records.
Donations
The father of the family was reportedly out of state taking part in firefighting efforts when the fire began. He has since returned home, Leach said.
Several groups are trying to help him and neighbors displaced when their homes were damaged by the spreading fire. Family friends started a GoFundMe campaign to help him. So far it has raised about $3,500.
The owner of Patnode’s True Value Hardware at 600 Ninth St. in Benton City is also collecting supplies and cash to help the Martinez family.
Nine people in two families need to find another place to live because of the fire, according to the American Red Cross Northwest Region’s public information officer Joyce Bottenberg and information posted on Benton City Community News.
Officials weren’t able to share any details about the displaced families to protect their privacy. They normally offer help with food, shelter, emotional support and hygiene supplies, blankets and cleaning supplies.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 12:27 PM.