Fire claims former PUD commissioner

Cause under investigation

By Lynne Lynch

Herald staff writer

SOAP LAKE - Former Grant County PUD Commissioner Vera Claussen died early Tuesday morning in a wind-driven house fire near the Lakeview Golf & Country Club in Soap Lake.

Firefighters tried to rescue Claussen, 78, by approaching an outside window on the back of the home on Braeburn Drive N.W., an Ephrata Fire Department spokesperson stated. The window was the only part of the home not on fire.

But firefighters backed away because the fire was tearing through the home, making the building unstable.

"The fire had a head start on us by the time we arrived, and the wind fanned the flames," according to Jennifer Wood, spokesperson with the Ephrata Fire Department. "Once the rescue attempt was complete, the safest operation for firefighters was to battle the fire from the outside of the building."

Firefighters with Grant County Fire Districts 7,13 and the Ephrata Fire Department responded to Claussen's home at 12:31 a.m. They cleared the scene at about 4 a.m.

Investigators were also on the scene Tuesday trying to determine the cause of the blaze and not available for further comment.

Claussen was found dead in a bedroom in the front of the home. An autopsy to determine a cause of death is slated for today, according to Grant County Coroner Jerry Jasman.

Claussen was the only person found at the home, Grant County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy John Turley stated.

Her husband Al Claussen is a resident at McKay Healthcare and Rehab Center in Soap Lake, son-in-law Bob Chapman of Lake Stevens confirmed.