{"id":2753,"date":"2010-10-29T07:46:37","date_gmt":"2010-10-29T14:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=2753"},"modified":"2010-10-30T00:59:34","modified_gmt":"2010-10-30T07:59:34","slug":"resident-from-ethels-fatal-house-fire-was-a-good-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=2753","title":{"rendered":"Resident from Ethel’s fatal house fire was a “good guy”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2010.1028.ike.fire\"<\/a>

The cause of the fatal fire at Gary Ike's home north of Toledo is still under investigation.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker
\nLewis County Sirens news reporter<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

This news story was updated at 10:24 a.m.<\/em><\/p>\n

TOLEDO – The cause of the blaze that decimated the small wood-frame house where Gary Ike lived and died is still unknown but one detail stands out: “We have yet to find a smoke detector,” fire investigator Derrick Paul said yesterday.<\/p>\n

Paul and fellow investigators were on the scene for hours yesterday looking for what sparked the fire where a man he said was well known in the community, throughout the county, was found dead. He called it a tragedy.<\/p>\n

\"2010.1029.mug.gary.ike_2\"<\/a>

Gary Allen Ike<\/p><\/div>\n

“(This) is the case in just about every fatality we see, the lack of a working smoke detector,” Paul. “That’s the consistent factor in all of them.”<\/p>\n

The two-bedroom home on the 100 block of Nicholson Road in Ethel still stands, but is a total loss after the late Wednesday night fire. Nicholson is a dead-end road off of Oyler Road about a half mile east of Lewis and Clark State Park, north of Toledo.<\/p>\n

Gary Allen Ike, 54, lived there alone, according to neighbors. He worked at Home Depot.<\/p>\n

Francine Smiley, who has lived around the corner for more than three decades remembers when it was the home of Ike’s father, David Ike – the last full-blooded Cowlitz Indian.<\/p>\n

Many are mourning Gary Ike’s passing, she said. “He’s a good guy,” she said yesterday afternoon as she picked up her mail in front of Ike’s house.<\/p>\n

The Toledo area fire department was called out at 11:20 p.m. and when the first engine company of volunteers arrived nine minutes later from the Tucker Road station, the structure was fully engulfed in flames, according to fire authorities.<\/p>\n

A neighbor across the road smelled smoke and pounded on the front door as he called 911, but the smoke was too thick for him to do more, according to Paul.<\/p>\n

Firefighters from Winlock, Vader, Napavine and Salkum joined Lewis County Fire District 2 and worked until almost 3:45 a.m. extinguishing the fire.<\/p>\n

Neighbor Diane Sinner said she was just dropping off to sleep when she heard a “boom.”<\/p>\n

“I jumped out of bed, my window was just glowing,” she said. “I looked out the window and saw flames,” Sinner said. “We stood out there and watched, and I just prayed I could see him out there. It’s so sad.”<\/p>\n

Paul said Ike was found in the rear of the house where the kitchen is.<\/p>\n

“The evidence is consistent with someone who’s trying to exit the residence, just couldn’t make it, just couldn’t get to the door,” Paul said.<\/p>\n

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office confirmed Ike’s identity and scheduled an autopsy for Monday to determine the cause of his death.<\/p>\n

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with the fire investigators because it was a fatality, according to Paul.<\/p>\n

At the nearby St. Mary’s Mission – where Cowlitz Indian Tribal Housing is headquartered – employees were preparing to extend hospitality to Ike’s family, expected to arrive this weekend from all over, according to Bob Bouchard a manager there.<\/p>\n

The gathering will likely be large. Ike did volunteer work “everywhere” according to Sheryl Bertucci.<\/p>\n

“He’s a member of the Lions Club in Toledo and some other clubs.” Bertucci said. “Everybody knows Gary.”<\/p>\n

Fred Eckenberg recalled Ike’s dedication in helping out during pow wows and other tribal activities, being especially dedicated to tribal youngsters.<\/p>\n

“He would keep watch over the kids,” Eckenberg said. “He had a manner the kids respected.”<\/p>\n

A cousin of Gary Ike’s is among those traveling to Toledo today.<\/p>\n

“He’s always happy, always willing to help out, kind to everybody and will – would – do anything for his family,” Suzanne Donaldson-Stephens said as she prepared to depart her home in Washougal.<\/p>\n

Ike has a brother and a sister. He had no children, she said.<\/p>\n

Services are expected to be announced next week, after the coroner’s office releases her cousin, she said.<\/p>\n

They will be held in the gym at St. Mary’s Mission at 107 Spencer Road in Toledo.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n

Read yesterday morning’s news story on the fire here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker Lewis County Sirens news reporter This news story was updated at 10:24 a.m. TOLEDO – The cause of the blaze that decimated the small wood-frame house where Gary Ike lived and died is still unknown but one detail stands out: “We have yet to find a smoke detector,” fire investigator Derrick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10],"class_list":["post-2753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-top-story","tag-by-sharyn-l-decker","tag-news-reporter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2753"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2757,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2753\/revisions\/2757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}