3 young sisters die in Pierce County fire

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

3 young sisters die in Pierce County fire
Eleven engines from area fire departments, including Graham Fire and Rescue, responded to the fire.

By Erik Lacitis

Seattle Times staff reporter

Sabrina Ballard hugs her husband, Leonard Ballard, in Graham on Sunday. An early-morning house fire claimed the lives of his three daughters, ages 10, 11 and 13.

Eleven engines from area fire departments, including Graham Fire and Rescue, responded to the fire.

A house fire claimed the lives of three sisters during a weekend visit at their father's house in Graham.

GRAHAM, Pierce County — They had no chance, the three sisters, who were visiting their dad for the weekend and died in an overnight house fire.

The flames shot 20 to 30 feet into the air, in minutes turning the wood-frame home into cinders, the asphalt shingles melting and literally drooping on what little remained of the roof.

And when flames prevented their father from reaching his daughters on the second floor, he ran outside and threw a ladder up against the house. But he could not save them.

Killed were Katelyn, 13; Emily, 11; and Michela Ballard, 10. Their father, Leonard Ballard, 39, and stepmother, Sabrina Ballard, 31, survived.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but fire officials do not consider it suspicious. Gary Franz, deputy chief of Graham Fire and Rescue, said 11 engines from area fire departments responded to the blaze, which was reported early Sunday, just after midnight, and took an hour to get under control.
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