Blanchard structure fire claims two lives
<p>Two people were killed in a house fire in Blanchard early Wednesday morning. (Photo by NICK IVIE)</p>
BLANCHARD — Two people were killed early Wednesday morning after a blaze overran a southwestern Bonner County home.
Bonner County Sheriff’s officials tentatively identified the victims as Mary Sands, 52, and her 23-year-old daughter, Angela. Mary Sands’ 66-year-old husband, Robert, was able to escape the blaze.
The fire occurred north of Blanchard in a trailer home at 320 McDonald Creek Road. Sheriff’s deputies were called to assist Spirit Lake Fire District firefighters with the structure fire, which had fully engulfed the home.
Robert Sands told deputies he believed his wife and daughter may have been trapped in the home. After the fire was extinguished, sheriff’s detectives discovered the remains of two people.
Robert Sands told investigators the fire may have started because the door on a wood stove was left open.
The fire remains under investigation, although investigators said there is no suspicion of wrongdoing.
Sheriff’s Lt. Ror Lakewold did not respond Wednesday to requests for further comment.
It’s the first deadly fire in Bonner County since 2010, when flames swept through a home northeast of Clark Fork, causing the death of a 32-year-old man. The last multiple-fatality fire in the county occurred in 2007 in Cocolalla. That fire claimed the lives of a couple and their infant son.