Suspicious Fire Destroys Yakima Woman's Home
Wells' Home
Ann wWells described the fire that tore through her home in Yakima yesterday.
Wells, who has lived in the house for over 40 years, had just put up her halloween decorations that morning, not knowing they would go up flames just a few hours later.
"It just hurts a lot to know that have to lose everything like this... all the years here," said Wells.
Firefighters responded to the house on the 500 block of Erickson Lane around 1 oclock yesterday, and found the house fully engulfed in flames.
Wells told firefighters earlier in the day some neighborhood kids who were in her house, alerted her to a small fire in one of the rooms - she managed to put it out on her own.
But when a second fire started in her bedroom a few minutes later, it spread throughout the house, all the way to the attic.
Not only is the loss devestating for Wells, but also for those who live up and down the street who say it's like losing a second home.
"This house was a big part of everybody on this block's life, pretty much. Anybody that knows here or has been here has been able to live here or stay here," said Wells' neighbor, Megan Foley.
"She's had 26 people living at her house at one time because they didn't have a home or anything. Or even if they had some place to go, she would feed them before, if they didn't have food. She would do everything she could for people," said Wells' granddaughter, Tiffany Feller.
However, Wells says she says she won't be taking in just any person off the street anymore.
"I think it's going to take me a little while, I think I need to take a break. So... I think I just need to be a little more careful," said Wells.
We asked firefighters if they think the kids in the house started the fires -- they said they were still investigating.
Total losses are estimated at 120 thousand dollars.