Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
Residents in Scio are celebrating a “miracle” after a woman and young child escaped a three-alarm house fire that destroyed the structure May 27.
The Scio Fire District (SFD) said they were called around 1:45 p.m. that day to Crackerneck Dr. and found a house fully involved in flames. Crews responded from Jefferson, Stayton, Albany, Lebanon, and Sublimity and the fire was brought under control around 3 p.m.
Neighbor Sheryl Kundert wrote on Facebook that her daughter, Michelle Lee, and the 3-year-old daughter of the homeowners were inside when the fire broke out. Kundert said Lee kept her wits and ran to the back of the house, kicking out a bathroom window and screaming for help.
Neighbors arrived and helped the two to safety. Lee and the child were then treated for smoke inhalation at Santiam Hospital and sent home, said Kundert.
“It is a miracle it all took place as it did,” she said.
The house was a total loss and a GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the owners, Sara and Nickoli King, at gofund.me/ebea5a2b.
Three vehicles parked along the street, including one owned by Kundert, were destroyed. Two dogs in the house perished, one belonging to Kundert and the other to the Kings.
The cause of the fire was still being investigated as of press time by SFD and Oregon State Fire Marshals Office.
