A Seattle couple says "it's a miracle" they're alive after a landslide took away their family home and the lives of their pets.
James Fritts told KOMO he and his wife, Didi, were home Friday afternoon (January 7) when they suddenly heard "a big crack and a huge roar."
"The whole house just exploded around us," Fritts recalls the terrifying incident in their Magnolia neighborhood. Reporters say their house on Perkins Lane collapsed, and Fritts was left pinned underneath a refrigerator for 45 minutes before he was rescued. Crews on the scene reportedly extinguished a fire, as well.
"They were able to douse the fire, use the jaws of life to get me out," the husband says. "We’re a miracle, it’s just a miracle we’re alive."
Fritts says Didi was able to get out on her own, and that some planters saved her from getting in debris. They both suffered injuries and were treated at a hospital, according to KOMO. Their dogs, Sammy and Lilly, did not survive the catastrophe.
The couple says they raised their kids in their home of 10 years. Reporters say the landslide pushed the entire house off its foundation. Despite the tragedy, Fritts says he's "incredibly grateful" and has faith in God.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family.