An 83-year-old grandmother became the sole fatality of the Upriver Fire in Spokane, Washington, on June 16, after she refused to leave her home as the wildfire approached. Marilyn Haugen died when the blaze consumed her neighborhood, reducing the house she had lived in for decades to ashes.
Her son, Scott Haugen, reported that his mother told her husband she intended to fight the approaching flames with a garden hose. "She said she wasn't going," Scott recounted his father telling him. "She told my dad she is going to fight the fire with the garden hose, and if she was able to save the house, that would be a win. But if it didn't work out, her faith and trust in the Lord, her beliefs in eternal life, she would be with her savior. And that was also a win."
Marilyn Haugen's decision to stay has been defended by her son, who stated that those who questioned her choice did not understand her. "They didn't know her," Scott said. "Her home was her everything. She made a choice to stay, and that was her choice."
The Upriver Fire ultimately destroyed 14 homes in the Beacon Hill and Northwood neighborhoods. Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputies reportedly made multiple attempts to urge anyone inside the Haugen residence to evacuate, but no one answered the door.
Marilyn Haugen had lived a life defined by resilience and adventure. In the 1960s, she and her husband, Dennis Haugen, built a life in remote Alaska, living approximately 100 miles from the Arctic Circle. During their time there, Marilyn hunted moose and deer to help provide for her family while raising three children, often while Dennis was away on military deployments.
After moving to Spokane in 1996, the couple settled into a home that overlooked peaceful scenery, which became their favorite refuge. Scott Haugen recalled his parents enjoying evenings on their back deck just two days before the fire, expressing gratitude for their location. "That was just 48 hours before she lost her life," he said.
Inside the home, Haugen had filled every room with personal mementos, including family photographs, handmade cards, and scrapbooks. An unfinished scrapbook detailing her own life was on the dining room table when the fire destroyed the house.
Family members described Marilyn as vibrant and energetic, with a youthful spirit and a deep love for people. Her great-grandchildren remembered her through the cards she had made for them over the years. For her grieving family, the focus remains on the extraordinary way she lived, rather than the tragic circumstances of her death.