South Sound family suffers loss of father and their home in less than a week

Graham, WASH. — A South Sound family is picking up the pieces after their home was ravaged by flames this week.

The Graham Fire Department responded to a fire in the 32000 block of Whitman Lake Drive E around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

“The thing that we escaped with was our breath and I was really fortunate to have that,” said Justin Starbuck.

He and his family told KIRO 7 they are recalling the moments they barely made it out alive.

“It’s literally just ash and cinder and rubble,” Justin explained.

The Starbuck family home is now a shell of what it was once.

Jenn Starbuck woke up to their fire alarm and knew something was wrong immediately.

“I saw flames coming from the ceiling and it was just dripping fire,” she explained. “The house was just engulfed in no time. There was probably at least six fire engines trying to get it out and under control.”

With the electricity powered down, Jenn said it was pitch black when they only had minutes to process what was happening.

“You’re like call 911, find the fire extinguisher, just like so many things to do in that same moment and you’re just like shaking,” she said.

The two of them escaped with their 9-year-old son, Christian and pup, Daken.

But as Justin reached for their car keys, he was burned by the flames.

“I suffered 2nd-degree burns and cuts and lacerations around my legs and back because the glass was just popping from somewhere,” Justin described.

Days later, it’s hard for them to imagine it was supposed to be their forever home.

Despite the rubble and ash, they look forward to rebuilding from here.

“We’re still alive and we’ll get better and all this stuff is replaceable but the things we can’t replace, like my wife, my son and my dog are still here and they’ll be here tomorrow,” Justin said.

If this weren’t bad enough, the fire was the second tragedy the family has been coping with.

Justin’s father had just passed away just a few days before their house was burned down. It’s another heartbreaking tragedy that he’s still trying to process.

“You know, I was still processing this huge grief and like I’m sittin here thinking about my house but really in my heart I’m really thinking about my dad. Because like the one person I want to talk to about this is not able to be talked to,” he explained.

Justin is grateful his family has received an enormous amount of support from the community around him.

“Things happen for a reason and you know, you don’t always know why they happen the way they do but in the end, they make sense. We’re just hoping to find that silver lining. Hope that comes sooner rather than later,” he said.

If you’d like to donate and help the Starbuck family rebuild, click here for the GoFundMe.

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