A 70-year-old woman and her longtime service dog were tragically killed in a house fire in Marysville Sunday morning.Marysville Fire District crews responded to
A 70-year-old woman and her longtime service dog were tragically killed in a house fire in Marysville Sunday morning.
Marysville Fire District crews responded to a home on 88th Street around 9:21 a.m. Sunday, after the victim's husband called 911 to report heavy smoke and fire damage and that his wife was unresponsive, authorities said.
Upon arrival, crews found smoke but no active fire, according to an assistant fire chief. The woman and dog were pronounced dead in the home. Investigators are still determining the cause of the house fire.
Ron Armstrong, the husband, identified the victim as his wife of 54 years, Debra Armstrong. Debra was 70 years old, her husband said.
Armstrong, the victim's husband, said he wasn't home at the time of the initial fire.
He returned home Sunday morning after working an overnight shift. "As soon as I opened the door from the garage to the living room, I smelled all the smoke, and then I looked, and everything was black," Armstrong said.
Armstrong told KOMO News he found Debra on their bedroom floor, and he said it appeared she had attempted to reach their phone to call 911.
Debra had been battling stage 4 throat cancer and was in hospice care in their Marysville home.
"She was always afraid," Armstrong said in a shaky voice. "She didn't want to die alone; she wanted someone to be there, and I wasn't there."
Armstrong was treated for smoke inhalation Sunday morning, and no other injuries were reported, authorities confirmed.
As of now, Armstrong won't be able to live in their home because of significant smoke damage. Fire authorities said they expect he will eventually be able to move back in after cleaning and restoration work is completed in the home.
In the meantime, Armstrong told KOMO News he will likely live with his adult son.
