Birds perish in Dallesport Fire early Sunday Morning; Owner calls house a total loss
Firefighters on scene at the house fire at 8293 Highway 14 in Dallesport on Sunday morning, April 16. Photo from Lyle Fire & Rescue Dist. No. 4.
By Tom Peterson
A fire in a converted construction job trailer in Dallesport early Sunday, April 16 sent, homeowners into quick action to save as many of their animals as possible.
Tracy Zumwalt of 8293 Highway14, said her husband woke her up around 4 a.m. when he saw the flames through a small window near their bedroom at the rear of the house.
The fire from the trailer quickly spread to the house.
She said her husband Robert screamed “the house was on fire” and quickly went about getting his guns.
Tracy Zumwalt looks at the destruction to her home on Monday morning, April 17.
“I don’t even remember,” Tracy said of her actions after being awakened to the blaze. “I put on my slippers, grabbed my sweatpants and my purse.”
She told her son Matthew “to get up, the house is on fire.”
They quickly got two dogs out of their crates and got the other four k-9s quickly out of the home.
She has several Bouvier des Flandres, a special breed of herding dog.
Once outside, they called for help and firefighters arrived at 4:28 a.m., she said. And the first water tender came at 4:38 a.m.
She also called her insurance agent, Dean Dollarhide, who later showed up on site with his wife Michelle.
Michelle eventually drove back to The Dalles to get Tracy a coat because it was so cold that morning.
The flames could not be knocked down before destroying the house, Tracy said. While the house appears to be intact from the front. The back side of the home reveals that the fire tore through much of the structure.
Lyle Fire & Rescue District No. 4 reported on Facebook:
“With thousands of gallons of water, crews were able to knock down the fire in the back of the house where a camp trailer was parked and the back outside wall of the house.
“Interior firefighters were able to keep the fire to one bedroom, the full length of the north wall, and the attic space. The house suffered a good amount of fire damage making it unlivable. Firefighters were able to save multiple belongings in the rest of the house, but there was heavy smoke and water damage.”
The oil tank for the furnace at the rear of the house bulged out because of the intense heat but did not fail.
The fire killed 9 pairs of Tracy’s show canaries that were in cages in the back of the house.
“It’s horrible, a horrible way to die,” she said of the birds.
Her husband’s AR-15 rifle was also melted in the blaze.
Dallesport Fire recently put up this reflective blue address on the Zumwalt’s mailbox, making it much easier for firefighters to locate. Tracy Zumwalt recommended others get one.
Insurance has paid for two night’s stay for the family at a local hotel, but Tracy was unsure what was to happen next.
She stayed the night in a recreational vehicle on the property on Sunday night and Monday morning, and she is hoping to get a temporary power pole to provide electricity to the property.
“It was pretty cold last night,” she said.
Tracy kept chicks in the construction job trailer, which appears to be the fire’s point of origin.
She said an electrician had rewired the trailer in a remodel and she She said she typically stayed in the trailer when there was a new litter of puppies.
On Sunday morning, however, she said she had left a heat lamp on in the trailer to keep the hatchlings warm. She said the fire might have started from the lamp.
All of her birds save seven grown chickens and several ducks were killed in the blaze.
Tracy said she had recently had the fire department put a new blue address number on her mailbox and it paid off as firefighters were able to find her home. She suggested others do the same as it cost only about $10.
This fire safe did its job at the Zumwalt house, saving photos and important documents from high heat.
Her fire safe, which was in the hottest part of the fire, also withstood the heat protecting valuable documents and photos, she said.
“We had good smoke detectors,” added Robert. “They went off immediately.
Multiple other agencies responded to the mutual aid request including Wishram Fire, Bingen Fire, White Salmon Fire, MCF&R, Dallesport Medic, KCSO, WSP, and KCPUD, Lyle Fire & Rescue Dist #4 reported.
