Brighton man loses wife of 68 years, 4 pets, home in fire
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FOX31's Talya Cunningham found out the fire was caused by a piece of furniture that could be in your house right now. The cause of this fatal fire may be surprising: an electric recliner chair.
Family members are truly devastated and not ready to speak on-camera, but they were spoken with on the phone, and they hope to prevent another tragedy by sharing their story.
It's a device common to many households, and investigators said it's the cause of the fire that sparked on May 11.
The fire started around 12:30 p.m. on 132nd Avenue, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was fully engulfed in smoke, with one person trapped inside. Crews rushed in, rescued her and began CPR, but it was unsuccessful.
88-year-old Kim Okada died from smoke inhalation.
The family said their three dogs and cat all died of smoke inhalation as well.
Kim's husband, Paul, was outside the home when the fire started, but was unable to save her. The couple were high school sweethearts who met when they were 16 and 17 years old, and were married for 68 years.
'My mom was a kind woman who brought smiles to those around her. She was a loving wife, mom, grandmother and great-grandmother who is sorely missed. She was a light in our lives,' said daughter Teiko Richy.
Brighton fire investigators concluded the home had no smoke detectors and the fire started underneath an electric recliner. They determined a cord was pinched due to wear over time.
The Brighton Fire Chief of Prevention, Elizabeth Bednracik, is warning everyone with this piece of furniture to always check the integrity of the appliance cord because it can lead to fires.
The Brighton Fire Department said there are several steps to take to prevent fires:
Always have working smoke alarms
Check electrical cords frequently
Have an escape plan
Use power strips over extension cords
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'It's a difficult time right now. We're doing everything we can to help support the family and community. This is a big loss for us, and we're going to be there for them during this time,' said Bednracik. 'They're very grateful. They've reached out to me to express thanks to the crews who came out, as you can imagine, it's very difficult for our responding crews who knew there was a party trapped inside. They were able to get her out and do CPR. It's a tragedy to the entire community, including our fire department.'
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help Paul after the incident.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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