Community raises over $350K to support Sammamish family injured in apartment fire

Two Sammamish residents were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a two-alarm fire occurred on Sunday morning in Madison Sammamish Apartments, which is located right behind the Pine Lake Village Shopping Center.

Eastside Fire and Rescue crew members noticed the fire when they happened to be driving by for training, according to Catherine Imboden, the agency’s public information officer.

“Engine 173 was traveling to training in the area when they spotted smoke from the fire and traveled to the scene to investigate. They were on-scene as 911 calls began to come in about the fire,” Imboden said in an email to the Sammamish Independent.

While the fire was contained within a single unit, smoke and water damage impacted a total of six apartment units. 

“The apartment was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Crews were able to rescue two adults and one dog from the apartment under heavy fire conditions,” Imboden said in the email.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Community members Ayan Gupta, Chakrapani Appalabattula, and Tarakarao Mukkamala started a GoFundMe page to support the family injured by the fire with medical expenses, temporary housing, and replacing lost belongings.

The fundraiser organizers identified the two hospitalized individuals as Panav, 22, a student at the University of Washington, and Niharika, 18, a senior at Skyline High School. According to the page, they were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

As of Wednesday evening, the fundraiser has raised over $350,000.

“We are deeply grateful for the incredible prayers, love, and generosity shown by so many people already. Please continue to keep Panav, Niharika, and their family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult journey toward healing and recovery,” Appalabattula wrote on the fundraiser page in a recent announcement.