Community Police & Fire

Happy to be alive, Meissner family recovering from devastating house fire

An April 8 house fire involving two suspicious deaths generated more intrigue but proved no more devastating than another that broke out a short time later.

After firefighters doused a blaze in the 15600 block of 14th Avenue NW, near Crescent Lake, investigators discovered two bodies inside. At least one of them didn’t die from the fire or a natural cause, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. The victims were identified as 64-year-old Oliverio Huitron-Rosalez and 31-year-old Alejandro Huitron Campos. The Medical Examiner’s office listed their cause and manner of death as “pending.”

Major fires two hours apart

Two hours after the first fire began, at 8 p.m., responders were sent to another in the 4400 block of 88th Avenue, north of Artondale. Uwe Meissner and his adult disabled son Mark barely escaped. Their million-dollar home and its contents were destroyed.

“If I woke up two minutes later, neither one of us would be here,” Uwe said Monday while surveying the rubble.

From left, Uwe, Mark and Gunda Meissner among the rubble of what was their home north of Artondale. Photo by Ed Friedrich

Uwe and Mark had fallen asleep after enjoying a movie. The smell of smoke awakened them. Mark, 49, thought a space heater could be malfunctioning. Unable to move from bed, he asked Alexa to contact his father via the intercom, but the fire had knocked out the internet. He screamed for help.

Uwe, now up and investigating, eyed smoke seeping through a door and heard noises in the garage. He opened the door to find the garage an inferno of yellow flames. A van specially modified for Mark to drive was engulfed.

No time to spare

Uwe slammed the door, raced to Mark’s bedroom, transferred him into his wheelchair and they escaped through the French doors to the back deck. En route, Uwe fetched Mark’s phone and the son called 911.

“They were here pretty damn quick, within five minutes,” Mark said of firefighters. “But the fire was already through the roof. I’m glad that they kept the neighborhood from burning down and that they stayed safe.”

The Meissners can’t dig through the rubble for belongings because the site is considered evidence. Photo by Ed Friedrich

As part of an accessibility remodel in 2013, the Meissners had installed the French doors in Mark’s room.

“The biggest concern was being trapped in the master bedroom with no way out,” Mark said. “As a quadriplegic, that is your worst nightmare because you can’t do anything. You rely on everybody to get you moving.”

The fire appears to have started in the garage near the electrical panel, according to Pierce County Fire Marshal Ken Rice. There was so much damage, it couldn’t be determined what caused it.

House pancaked on itself

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Chief Dennis Doan arrived shortly after the first engine. The garage was already fully burning, and the fire had begun to spread into the attic. The roof collapsed. Because of deteriorating conditions, crews had to switch from an interior attack to a defensive operation.

“The roof, ceiling and floor all partially collapsed into the deep crawl space, making it extremely difficult to fully extinguish hot spots,” Doan said. “We could not safely send firefighters into that structure with fire still actively burning underneath the debris.

“I actually know the Meissner family well. Gunda is a fellow Rotarian, and I’ve had dinner at their home. It was a difficult night for everyone involved, and I’m glad no one was hurt.”

Crews remained until the following day, tearing down the home with heavy equipment to reach all the embers.

Gunda and Mark Meissner at the burned house. A van modified for Mark to drive is at the left. It had been in the garage during the fire. Photo by Ed Friedrich

Gunda Meissner, Uwe’s wife and Mark’s mother, was aboard a plane en route to a school reunion in Germany. Mark sent her the message “Bye House” with a photo of the home in flames.

“Whose is this? Ours?” she replied.

A subdued reunion

“She wanted to return from her trip, but we said you can’t do anything here,” Mark said. “Stay and enjoy your reunion. To come back two days earlier wouldn’t have made a difference.”

While Uwe and Mark work as research engineers for Gig Harbor accident reconstruction firm Collision Research and Analysis, Gunda volunteers. She is the family’s connection to the community. She has been a Midday Rotary Club member for 13 years, serving as president in 2020-21.

“She’s been a great servant, all the good she has done,” said Rotary Treasurer Nathan Schlichter. “She’s been a big part of our club with fundraisers helping the community.”

Uwe Meissner peers into the fire remnants while son Mark looks on. Photo by Ed Friedrich

Now the community is helping the Meissners. Schlichter took the lead for Rotary in setting up a GoFundMe account. “Gunda, Uwe, and their son are in need of our support as they look for an accessible living situation, transport, and resources,” it states. “If you know them, you know how much they have done for others in our community. This is our chance to help them out.”

The fund quickly reached its $20,000 goal and has since climbed past $30,000. Many Rotarians are among the 180 donors, which also include colleagues, friends and classmates from the Meissners’ earlier life stages in Europe and the East Coast.

“I know a lot of people want to help but don’t know how at the moment, so the easiest thing is to donate online,” Mark said.

Persevere and rebuild

Thirty grand won’t replace the house. Insurance should eventually cover most of that. But it will help with food, clothing, housing and transportation in the meantime. Besides Mark’s modified van, which they estimate will take $100,000 to $200,000 to replace, the family lost two other vehicles. They’re staying in a hotel and searching for an accessible place to buy or rent while hoping to rebuild.

“You can’t beat this street,” Mark said of the family’s home since 2008. “There are only eight houses. It’s not a through street. Great neighbors. It’s ideal.”

As a 19-year-old college student, Mark fell 80 feet while hiking a rock face and broke his neck. He doesn’t consider himself to be the unlucky victim of two tragedies but lucky to have survived them both.

“I’m still alive,” said Mark, who was taken to St. Anthony’s for smoke inhalation and because the hospital could better accommodate his needs than friends who offered a bed.

Dad echoed Mark’s sentiment.

“I really don’t have a feeling for the house loss,” Uwe said. “I’m just glad to be alive.”