Video shows wall of flames heading towards Lakewood neighborhood as residents fled, fought to save homes

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - Two people are dead and nearly a dozen homes are either destroyed or damaged after a fire ripped through a mobile home park in Lakewood on Friday afternoon. 

The fire started in a field behind the park and spread quickly, forcing the entire park to evacuate. 

Fire officials were on the scene late into the evening Friday. Once the fire was under control, officials started the task of going door to door, looking for occupants. That’s when they discovered the two victims.   

Cell phone video captured the panic as fire ripped through the field and into the Jamestown Estates park. Some of the video shows Nicole Ross fighting the flames with a garden hose. 

"The flames were huge. The flames were definitely taller than me," said Ross.  

Explosions could be heard as the fire raged on. A spokesperson for West Pierce Fire and Rescue says nine mobile homes were destroyed and five more damaged. 

"When one propane busts, it was just like a trigger. It went to the next home, to the next one, to the next one," said Ross. 

Tragically, two people lost their lives in the explosive fire. 

"I was so scared," said Xitlali Joya, a resident of the park who was forced to evacuate. 

Joya said her neighbor started banging on her door at around 2:30 p.m. 

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"The knocks were really scary. I went outside, my neighbor was in her car," said Joya. "I see outside it’s smoky. There’s a tree we usually see. It’s in flames."  

Joya grabbed the essentials and when she came outside, she could see the chaos unfolding. 

"They were all panicking grabbing their dogs and stuff like that, not everybody could get their dogs. There was a lady that was really sad. I don’t know what her situation was, but it was very scary," said Joya. 

"I look outside and see little girls running around, and I see a big smoke cloud over there, so I ran to get my mom," said Brooklynn Turner. 

Neighbors, including Turner’s family, also battled to keep the fire from spreading to apartments on the opposite side of the field. 

Nicole Ross, her daughter and her daughter's friend all grabbed hoses to help water down neighbor’s lawns. 

"It was hot, from the flames being so close," said Ross. "You could definitely feel the heat. 

"There was a fire starting on this side getting closer to where we live, so we just got a hose and put it together and sprayed it," said Merlinda Pretrick, Ross & Turner's friend and neighbor. 

Ross says the wind and dry conditions played a role in spreading the fire. 

"If it wasn’t for us spraying, it would have caught onto our side," said Ross.  

Joya’s home survived, though it was a close call for her family. 

"It was two houses down from being damaged," she said.  

Neighbors say their hearts go out to the families who lost everything.  

"I can’t imagine what these people are going through,"said Joya.  

"That’s devastating, it is heartbreaking," said Ross.   

While fire officials believe the fire may have started in a field, the cause is still under investigation.