SEATTLE — Two drag performers and roommates are removing their damaged items from their North Seattle townhome after it went up in flames Saturday due to somebody else’s illegal fireworks.
"This isn’t just our home, it’s also our place of work. We get ready here," said Sreya, who preferred to go by their drag name. "And I design for other performers.”
No injuries were reported, but residents of three townhomes were displaced. Investigators ruled the fire was accidental and likely caused by fireworks. They estimated the loss to be $100,000.
At 12:38 a.m., more than an hour after the fire was first reported to 911, the fire was fully extinguished by Seattle firefighters.
"This whole stairway was like full of glass," said Sreya, showing the devastation left behind.
Sadly, the damage was due to no fault of their own.
"The resident of the home did not light the firework," said David Cuerpo, a spokesperson for Seattle Fire Department.
Sreya was home with a pet dog, and they were minding their own business in their bedroom.
"I could hear fireworks outside," he said.
Firefighters believe an ember from somebody else’s fireworks landed on his balcony.
"Where it ignited furniture that was on that balcony," explained Cuerpo.
Sreya said, "And [it] started spreading through the floor and to the attic.”
At the first sight of smoke, he grabbed his dog and ran.
"I was just like, 'Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out.'"
But not without a couple of cuts on his feet from hot glass.
"That’s when the window blew up," said Sreya. "And then I just had to keep going.”
Sreya survived, and thankfully, his roommate wasn’t home.
Now displaced, they’re moving what's left and are staying with loved ones in the interim.
While they figure out their next step, Sreya said he’s open for hire as a drag performer.
"You can book me at ‘That’s So Sreya,'" he said, laughing.
Sreya and his roommate Victoria are now facing thousands in replacement bills, and Victoria said she regrets that her renter's insurance was set only to $10,000 in damages. Sreya said some people in Seattle's LGBTQIA+ community, among others, have kindly supported them financially on their Venmo, and he hopes others will do the same. Their handles, he said, are @thatssosreya and @vicky-amore.
In the meantime this holiday, if you would like to report illegal fireworks in the City of Seattle, you’re asked to call the non-emergency reporting line at (206) 625-5011. Cuerpo said law enforcement will consider patrolling the area. Do not call 911 to report illegal fireworks.