Two funerals for kids who died in Bryant fire

ARLINGTON — Many fellow students and their parents remembered the unique characteristics (a passion for sports and an artistic bent, as well as a good sense of humor) of 10-year-old Tyler J. Emory at the Arlington Free Methodist Church in Arlington Dec. 2 and a memorial gathering for the 11-year-old, Kyler Grant Opstrup-Williams will be held at Loyal Heights Community Hall at 3 p.m. Dec. 5.

The two boys died in a house fire which burst into a blaze too hot for firefighters to enter in just six minutes, according to PIO of North County Fire District, Christian Davis.

The boys were under the care of foster parents Mark and Susan Lee who moved to Arlington a year ago and started a remodel of the house to expand their foster parent abilities. A fundraising spaghetti dinner and auction on Dec. 3 at Presidents Elementary School, 505 E. Third St., in Arlington, benefits the Lee family. The dinner was made possible by generous donations from the Food Pavilion and other grocery stores, according to Arlington School District public information officer Misti Gilman. The district is providing the sauce at cost, she said. Food Pavilion is providing all the bread and pasta and Safeway and Haggen each donated $25 toward expenses. Along with attending the dinner, the community is also able to make donations to the Mark Lee Family Fund at Bank of America.

Ostrup-Williams was a student at Post Middle School in the Arlington School District and T.J. Emory had just recently re-enrolled at Pioneer Elementary after attending Quil Ceda Elementary School in Marysville in recent months.

Eight survivors — four adults and four children — were transported to the local hospital for minor burns and smoke inhalation. The Snohomish County Fire Marshals Office investigated the fire and estimated cost of damages to be around $525,000. The fire is believed to have been started by faulty electrical wiring, according to investigator Gary Bontrager with the Fire Marshals Office.

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