‘Devastating to lose everything:’ Lynnwood family barely escapes deadly duplex fire, landlord dies
Jan 21, 2026, 5:48 AM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A mother and her three children narrowly escaped a fast-moving fire that destroyed their Lynnwood home Monday.
Their landlord, who lived in the adjoining unit, did not survive.
“It all went really fast,” Heather Cromwell said. “There’s nothing you can do when it’s in flames.”
Cromwell and her family fled their Lynnwood home with only the clothes on their backs and their two dogs. They say flames consumed everything they owned in a matter of minutes.
The fire broke out just after 8:30 p.m. Monday on 200th Street Southwest. The family had little time to react.
“We smelt it and then we went outside and then the whole house was on fire,” Autumn Masquelier, Cromwell’s daughter, said.
Sebastian Wilhelm, Masquelier’s boyfriend, said the situation escalated fast.
“From the time we smelled it to where the house started exploding was maybe five minutes,” he said.
Cromwell managed to get out with her three children, her daughter’s boyfriend, and their two dogs just in time.
“I can’t even imagine what this would look like if everything didn’t line up the way it did,” Wilhelm said. “We are grateful that God put us all where we were at the right time.”
The fire engulfed the entire duplex, including the unit where their landlord lived.
“He was very nice and loving, and it’s really sad that that happened to him,” Cromwell said. “We hope that it was painless for him.”
Everything the family owned was either melted or destroyed in the blaze.
“It is just things,” Cromwell said. “We’re all alive and we’re really grateful for that.”
Cromwell’s biggest concern now is her son, who is on the autism spectrum.
“He wants to know where we’re going to live, and we don’t know, and that’s pretty hard,” she said.
The family is trying to stay strong for him.
“We all act like we’re OK for him because he can’t even go back there. He’s so scared,” Cromwell said.
The family says they’re not facing this crisis alone. Community members have rallied to support them in the aftermath.
“We’re just having faith that this is where we’re supposed to be,” Cromwell said. “God provides, the world provides, and the world takes care of each other and we really need that right now.”
The family is currently staying in a hotel while they figure out their next steps. A GoFundMe has been set up to help them rebuild.
