Vehicle Fire Displaces Harrah Family
A Harrah Home Destroyed By Fire
Fire crews are investigating a fire this morning that leaves a Harrah family homeless and without a car.
This is not the first time this family has suffered significant losses due to a fire
Pearl Weston described the flames that roared from the drivers seat of her van early this morning.
She says she was sleeping in the living room of her Harrah home, when her son woke her up around 2 am.
"My son called me, he says 'mom-mom the car is on fire,' and I just got hysterical," said Weston.
Weston and her sons Lindsey and Dana woke up to see a fire glowing from the inside of her van, Dana helped his mother and brother evacuate their house, then dialed 911.
Pearl Weston says Dana tried to extinguish the fire with a hose, but it engulfed the van in just a matter of minutes, forcing Dana to abandon his efforts.
The car exploded just a few seconds later, which caused the flames to spread to the roof of the house.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, the fire had already spread through the attic.
By the time crews extinguished it, the Weston's house was a total loss.
Pearl says this was not the first time she's experienced a car fire.
"This is the second car that I've lost, I lost one last year too, just like this. It got all burned up and i didn't think it was gonna happen again," said Weston.
Weston's daughter, Darlene Santiago, says she grew up in the house, and remembers the purple colored room that used to be hers.
"I'm heartbroken, because I watch the news and i would have never thought --- nobody ever thinks it's gonna happen to you. But when you face it yourself, it's really hard," said Santiago.
As for Pearl Weston, she says the loss of her home is crippling, but least she still has her family.
"I'm happy we all got out safely, because I couldn't deal with it --- if i lost my kids, i would never deal with it," said Weston.
The Yakima County Fire Department tells us it is continuing its investigation into the cause of this fire.
Pearl Weston and her sons are now staying with her daughter Darlene and her family in Yakima
Members from the community are donating items to the Westons.
Those items are being delivered to the All Tribes Christian Life Center located on the corner of Highway 97 and Progressive Road.