Nineteen homes were totally destroyed in the deadly Chelan Hills fire, according to the Douglas County Sheriff. Crews report the fire is now 20% contained, though heavy winds Tuesday and Wednesday pose an issue.
KIRO 7 spoke to a couple who made a harrowing escape as the flames closed in on their home.
“All the way down the canyon was just fire,” Madison Joga said.
Joga and her husband, Owen, just moved into their dream home five weeks ago. They described it as an oasis, and felt it was the perfect place to raise their young son. After moving in, they learned another baby is on the way.
“It was peace, and it was quiet, and it was wonderful, and it was ours,” she said. “Now, it is just black, scorched earth and there is absolutely nothing standing on it.”
Their dream home is now gone, burned completely to the ground. They are now trying to figure out what to do next and how to rebuild their life with only what they could fit in their cars during a hectic evacuation.
“It was snuffed out before we even got a chance to close on it,” Owen Joga said. “We were supposed to sign the papers today to close on this property. It’s all gone.”
The Jogas are not alone. Aerial pictures show the scope of the destruction. The fire burned nearly 10,000 acres and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is still trying to get a handle on the damage.
“There have been a lot of assessments done, starting yesterday and still going into today,” Sheriff Tyler Caille said.
Caille said one man was killed in the fire and several firefighters suffered heat-related illnesses.
In the coming days, he said responders will do a door-to-door sweep for anyone who may have been left behind.
After that comes accountability.
“We do believe it was a human-caused event, and we are treating it like a criminal investigation because of not only the damage to the landscape and property, but also the death of the individual,” he said.
If you would like to help the Jogas family, you can donate to their GoFundMe.
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