Woman Drags Boyfriend Out of Burning Eastern Washington Home

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A Kennewick woman rescued her boyfriend after he collapsed near the door of his burning home early Friday.

A fire broke out on the main floor of a house at 206 S. Quincy St. sometime before 12:45 a.m.

While an older woman living in the basement was able to escape, a man in his 20s living on the main floor was still inside when his girlfriend arrived home, said Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael.

Despite being warned to stay back, the girlfriend raced to the front door and opened it and found him just inside, Michael said. She grabbed him and dragged him onto the front porch.

"She deserves a tremendous amount of credit," Michael said. "She was instrumental in helping give him a chance."

Fire officials recommend people stay away from burning buildings, Michael said.

When firefighters arrived, three Kennewick police officers had carried the man farther from the burning home.



He was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was in critical condition Friday morning.

Firefighter doused the blaze within 25 minutes and didn't find anyone else inside. They received help from Benton County Fire District 1 and Kennewick police.

The fire left the home significantly damaged, and there was smoke damage throughout the home. No one will be able to live inside the house for "an extended period of time," Michael said in a news release.

The boyfriend and girlfriend lived in the house along with one of their grandmothers, Michael said.

The older woman was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.