Trinity Rebekah Lodge in Napavine will host a spaghetti dinner on Friday to benefit a local couple who lost everything in a house fire last month.
The fire broke out on the front deck of the couple’s home at 528 Second Ave. NW in downtown Napavine the night of May 17, according to Lewis County Fire District 5, which was dispatched to the scene at 11:17 p.m. after a bystander called 911. Lewis County Fire District 15 and Lewis County Fire District 6 also responded.
With help from the bystander, the home’s two elderly occupants escaped the structure before fire crews arrived.
The house itself was a complete loss, as were two of the three vehicles parked out front.
One of the two destroyed vehicles had an oxygen tank inside, which exploded while firefighters were working to suppress the fire, according to District 5 Chief Dan Mahoney.
Despite the explosion, the fire was contained to the single structure and the vehicles, Mahoney said.
No injuries to humans were reported, but the couple’s two pets did perish in the fire.
Crews extinguished the fire by about 2:30 a.m. on May 18 and a fire watch was in position for the rest of the night.
The next day, crews were able to return to the structure and retrieve some of the residents’ personal belongings, including wallets and wedding rings, Mahoney said.
The cause of the fire was undetermined as of Wednesday morning.
The benefit dinner costs $10 per person and is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on June 2 at Trinity Rebekah Hall, located at 111 W. Washington St. in Napavine.
