I am writing to correct the Feb. 8 article in the Covington Reporter, which also appeared in the Seattle Times, “Condo fire leaves two homeless in Kent”. The truth is that there were five homeless and one family pet.

My wife, myself, my 8-year-old boy and our cat have been living in hotels ever since the night of the fire. There was extensive water and smoke damage from the fire, which has made our home uninhabitable.

Standing in the rain waiting on the night of the fire, I never understood the reason why the Red Cross helped only the couple next door and not my family as well, since both units were unlivable. I felt extremely disappointed and unforgiving towards them. They did not seem to care.

In contrast, we have much to thank for our neighbor in another building. She temporarily sheltered and fed our son, guided the fire department to her place to take our vital signs, recommended a hotel and found a place for our cat.

We are also grateful to the Kent and Renton fire departments for the exemplary job they did, both fighting the smoke and fire as well as checking for “hot spots” throughout the night. They were at the scene of the fire in two minutes, before I finished speaking to the 911 dispatcher. They explained that in another 10 minutes, the results of the fire would have been disastrous.

It has been a very tough time for us, but I know one thing for sure; I will always remember that an 8-year-old child can be the saving grace for all of us. He was the first to notice the smell of something burning and knew it was smoke before I saw it billowing in through the gaps in our front door. Unfortunately the article as written did not approach the suffering on all sides involved in this incident. My family and I are truly up set and angry over this insensitivity.

Alan E. Daugherty

Condo owner

Kent