Mother saves 3 kids from house fire in Spokane Valley

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. (AP) — A mother is being credited with saving her three children from their burning home near Spokane Valley, but the mother and oldest child both remain in critical condition.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the woman suffered third-degree burns and collapsed in the front doorway after getting the children out of the house as the fire burned late Friday night. Spokane Valley fire marshal Greg Rogers says she got the two youngest children out first, then had to go back in to get her 7-year-old daughter.

A passerby pulled the mother from the front doorway before fire crews arrived.

The mother and the 7-year-old were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. A nursing supervisor said Sunday they remain in critical condition.

The two other children were taken to a local hospital.

Rogers said there were no working smoke detectors in the home, which was completely destroyed. The cause is under investigation.