Family loses everything in WA's Chelan Hills Fire
Family loses everything in Chelan Hills fire
Multiple homes burned down and at least one person is dead after a wildfire destroyed about 10,000 acres in central Washington.
DOUGLAS CO., Wash. - A wildfire in eastern Washington has burned multiple homes, consumed tens of thousands of acres, and investigators said they have found one person dead in a burned car.
What we know:
The Chelan Hills Fire started early Saturday morning and remains only 20% contained, according to Douglas County officials.
Among the properties destroyed, was a 19-acre home on McNeil Canyon Road that belonged to Madison and Owen Joga, a couple who had relocated from King County just five weeks ago.
The Joga family, who moved to Douglas County with their 16-month-old son and are expecting a second child this winter, tell FOX 13 Seattle they were on standby for several hours as the fires burned near their home.
What they're saying:
"We actually woke up to a knock on the door, and it was a deputy again, saying, ‘level three, you need to leave,’" Madison Joga said.
Level 3 evacuation orders mean danger is current and residents must leave immediately. The family was only able to escape with their car and two suitcases of clothes before the flames tore through their property.
Chelan Hills fire burns in Douglas County near Lake Chelan, Washington
"Like driving through an apocalypse zone"
When the family returned to the property the following day to see if anything had survived the fire, they were met with widespread destruction.
"It was like driving through an apocalypse zone, man," Owen Joga said. "We saw houses still standing, so we had just a brief glimmer of hope."
"I wasn’t prepared for the emotion that would come back," Madison Joga added.
Despite losing their home and their plans to build a farm, the Joga family expressed gratitude for their survival.
"Yes, this is a horrible tragedy, but we escaped with our lives," Madison Joga said. "Our next-door neighbor wasn’t so lucky—he was a good man—his car crashed on our property and so, when we went back that was one of the things that we came across so we thank the Lord we got out with our lives."
What you can do:
The Jogas are among several families in the region who have been left homeless by the blaze. There is a GoFundMe collecting money for the Joga's you can visit here.
For a full list of GoFundMe campaigns raising money for victims of the Chelan Hills Fire, click here.
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The Source: Information in this story came from GoFundMe, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.