Last Updated on 4 months by News Admin
(komonews) – Washington state – A 1-year-old child was killed and his parents were hurt as the family tried to escape from the Cold Springs Fire last weekend, authorities said Wednesday.
Jake, Jamie and Uriel Hyland were said to be visiting their property in Okanogan over the weekend when the blaze started. According to a GoFundMe set up for the family, they tried to get away from the fire in their truck, but had to run to escape the approaching flames.
“This fire was coming and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it,” Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said. “It was going to go where it wanted to go.”
Firefighters throughout Washington state were struggling to contain and douse fast-moving blazes that in some places were giving residents just minutes to evacuate their homes. The fires trapped firefighters and civilians behind fire lines in Oregon and leveled an entire small town in eastern Washington.
The Hylands were found by a Colville Tribal boat along the river early Wednesday morning, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office. The child had passed away when rescuers were able to reach the family.
The toddler’s parents were brought to Bridgeport State Park before they were transported to Three Rivers Hospital. The couple was flown Wednesday to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of third-degree burns to their hands and legs. A hospital spokeswoman said the two adults were in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
The Cold Springs Fire has burned more than 254 square miles between Mansfield and Omak.
