Update: Space Heater Blamed For Deadly Yakima Shed Fire

  • Source: KIT 1280-AM & 99.3-FM
  • Published: 02/17/2021 05:40 AM

Fire investigators in West Valley say they believe a space heater was the cause of a fire in a shed on Ahtanum Road last Friday that took the lives of a father and daughter. The State Fire Marshal’s office is now handing the investigation with help from officials from the Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms or ATF office. The wooden shed was in the backyard of a home in the 7600 block of Ahtanum Road when it caught fire last Friday morning. Firefighters arrived to find the shed engulfed in flames. They were unable to get inside because the fire was too intense. After dousing the fire they found the bodies of 49-year-old Fernando Ornelas and his 4-year-old daughter, Audrey. Both died of smoke inhalation. No foul play is suspected but lots of questions remain. What they were doing on a cold morning in the Yakima Valley in a wood shed heated by a space heater is one of the questions that remain unanswered.



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