June 07--A 50-year-old woman died early Thursday when she was overcome by smoke while trying to escape a fire that destroyed the Terrace Heights home she shared with her husband, authorities said.
An autopsy showed Lori Henry died from smoke inhalation in the 1:10 a.m. fire at the couple's home at 2810 Pilot Lane, north of Rest Haven Road.
Henry often volunteered at East Valley High School and chaperoned student events there. Her husband, Randy Henry, has taught science at the school for nine years.
Principal Dorothea Say described Lori Henry, a graduate of East Valley, as always positive and upbeat, saying she enjoyed being with students.
School staff are gathering furniture and other personal and household items and students are planning fundraisers to assist Randy Henry, she said.
"This is a community that really gets into action very quickly," she said. "They were a package deal. Lori was as much a part of the school as was Randy. It is a terrible loss."
Thursday was the last day of the school year.
East Valley Fire Chief Mike Riel said neighbors called in an alarm, telling emergency dispatchers they estimated flames were shooting 30 feet into the air. Riel said because of the fire's size, a second alarm was sounded that brought units from the Yakima, Selah and Union Gap fire departments and the Yakima Training Center Fire Department.
He said crews arrived to find fire throughout the structure.
He said reports indicated the couple were awakened by the sounds of smoke alarms and saw fire in the kitchen area. Randy Henry exited the home, but his wife did not follow him.
By the time he turned around, Riel said, flames had advanced and blocked the exit through the front door.
She then went to a room used as an office, but neither was able to open a window before she was overcome, he said.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing. A review of the scene suggests the fire began in the garage area and moved into the one-story structure, Riel said.
The home and its contents are a total loss. Two vehicles parked in an adjoining garage also were destroyed.
Riel said investigators have not yet made a damage estimate.
The last of the fire crews cleared the scene about 8 a.m.
--David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or [email protected].
Copyright 2013 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
