Tri-Cities burn victim who ‘didn’t have much’ now fighting for his life, says friend
Brian Beardsley remains in critical condition after he ran from a burning Kennewick building Friday morning.
The 46-year-old Kennewick man was flown to Seattle with burns all over, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by Joseph Gaylord.
“He is a man who would and has given the shirt off his back,” Gaylord wrote. “He didn’t have much and that which he did is now lost in the ashes. Now he is fighting for his life ... and can’t afford any of what is needed.”
Nine other residents and five businesses still haven’t been able to get inside the building at the corner of Kennewick Avenue and Cascade Street to see what is salvageable because of the devastation.
Kennewick fire officials have been working to determine when it might be safe.
Firefighters continue to investigate how it started on the second floor of the building across from the Sports Page Bar & Grill and next door to Desert Gem and Foodies restaurant.
Residents reported hearing yelling around 5:30 a.m. and had enough time to escape the building ahead of the fire.
Firefighters initially went into the building to search for people, but backed out because of the smoke and fire conditions inside.
They focused on making sure the fire didn’t spread to neighboring buildings. After a couple hours, they were able to get the fire under control.
Displaced
Many of those who lost their apartments fear they cannot find another place to live on what they were paying for rent.
People reported that the apartments were a good deal in a housing market where the average price of an apartment is about $1,200, according to apartment listing service RentCafe.
Renee Purser-Niezgoda, who moved in two weeks before the fire, said she was concerned about finding a place she could afford on her part-time salary.
Purser-Niezgoda and her cousin Gabrielle Pfannenstiel ran out into the freezing morning without any shoes.
Each has a daughter who didn’t have warm clothing on.
One of the other residents, Marie Mauldin, said in a GoFundMe campaign that she also fled with nothing.
The businesses caught in the fire also face similar problems. Kelli Jones, the owner of Innerchi Massage Studios, started looking for a new place to start working shortly after the fire started.
She is also waiting to find out if anything is salvageable. Jones said she cleared out a spare bedroom and is working on getting replacement items for when she can find a new spot.
She has been in businesses in the Cascade building for 15 years. She said it’s hard to find a price that compares to what she was paying downtown.
Massage therapy is physically and mentally taxing work, and isn’t something she could do for eight hours a day. She said it isn’t worth it to work in a chiropractor or physical therapist’s office.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to find something that is comparable,” she said. “It’s a great career, if you can work for yourself, you can make a living. ... Really, the downtown area makes it possible for us to make a livable wage.”
A Tight-Knit Community
Jones said downtown Kennewick is a tight-knit community that always takes care of one another.
Even as she worked to find a new place to start working she took a couple that had been living upstairs to lunch. And she was worried about a woman who worked around the building.
“None of us are wealthy,” she said. “We’re living paycheck to paycheck.”
Alongside the GoFundMe campaigns, the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership has set up a fund with the 3 Rivers Community Foundation to help the people affected by the Cascade Building fire.
“All funds raised for this account will be restricted to the aid of the victims,” according to Facebook post announcing the fund. “Every penny raised will go to the victims of this devastating fire.”
People can donate online by going to bit.ly/CascadeFundraiser.