Smoke alarms to be installed at site of tragic Kennewick fire that killed 8-year-old

Kennewick firefighters are returning to the Tri-Cities RV Park with the hope of preventing another tragic fire.

The fire department is teaming up with the American Red Cross and Kennewick Firefighters Local 1296 to distribute and install smoke alarms at the park at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. The event is part of the Sound the Alarm campaign.

A Nov. 12 blaze at the RV park killed 8-year-old Naomi Quetzalli and left her 14-year-old brother, Lotar Jaciel, with extreme injuries.

He is continuing to be treated in the burn unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said a release from Fire Chief Chad Michael.

He has been able to eat on his own, walk around, talk and some of the bandages have been able to come off, according to a GoFundMe that has raised more than $70,000 to help the family.

“There still lies a long road toward recovery,” organizer Mayra Alexander Quintero said in a Nov. 28 update.

The Nov. 12 fire was one of three fires at the same RV park this year, including one that happened just days after the tragic blaze.

“We want to make sure that we do whatever we can to prevent another tragic outcome in that community,” Michael told the Herald.

The Red Cross canvased the community to set up appointments, he said. They will check with homes the volunteers weren’t able to contact.

The department has teamed up with the American Red Cross for the past three years to hold smoke alarm installation campaigns throughout the city.

The most recent one on May 16 resulted in 176 smoke alarms being installed and 274 people being helped in the Sun City Mobile Home Park, said Michael.

The Red Cross estimates that seven people die every day in home fires across the nation. Most often these happen in homes without smoke alarms.

Michael said the department has resources to help anyone in need to a fire alarm. This partially funded through community donations, including a $5,000 donation from Gesa Credit Union in 2021 to pay for smoke alarms and fire safety information.