Burner to remain in race after house fire

Darcy Burner, Democratic candidate for U.S House in the 8th Congressional District, made it official Wednesday that she would stay in the race despite the fire that destroyed her King County home Tuesday morning.

Her announcement is below, along with a statement from her opponent, Rep. Dave Reichert.

"After the fire that destroyed our home yesterday, Mike, Henry and I spent last night together at the home of close family friends in Redmond. For all of those who have been asking, thank you again for your expressions of concern.

"Considering the circumstances, we are holding up well. I am particularly relieved to see that my son Henry seems to be fine this morning. He has been playing with Bruce Wayne, our golden retriever, who miraculously survived the fire inside the house. This whole ordeal has reminded me once again of the importance of what really matters in life: family and friends.

"Last night Mike and I have begun the long process of restoring what we have lost. I bought a new pair of glasses, and we visited the Value Village in Redmond to buy some clothes. Mike and I are working on replacing our driver's licenses, credit cards and other critical items that were lost in the fire.

"We intend to rebuild our Ames Lake home, which thankfully was insured. For the next few weeks we will stay with friends while we secure longer-term accommodations to cover the period our house is being rebuilt, a process that may take up to a year.

"Regarding my campaign, it will continue. Anyone who knows me also knows that I do not give up easily, and am certainly not going to give up now. I am going to cancel my schedule through the end of this week as I spend time with my family and we work to get our lives back in order. It will take a few weeks at least to deal with all the issues, but I expect to return to a limited campaign schedule sometime next week. We'll play it by ear from there. In the interim, my campaign staff will continue their work, so please feel free to contact them if you have any thoughts or questions.

"I again want to thank the first responders who dealt with the fire yesterday. They did a remarkable job, and I remain grateful for all that they do. For all those that have called to ask if they can offer financial and other assistance to us, know that we are going to be fine. If you would like to do something to help, let me again suggest a contribution to either your local humane society or animal shelter in memory of our cat, Charlotte, who did not survive the fire, or to the Washington State Council of Firefighters Benevolent Fund.

"To all those who are reaching out, I thank you again from the bottom of my heart."

Rep. Dave Reichert's statement on the fire is below.

"After learning of the fire at the Burner's home this morning, I was relieved to hear that Darcy, Mike and Henry were safe. While the loss of a home is tragic, family and loved ones are irreplaceable. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they work through their loss. At times like these we are reminded that nothing is more important than family and loved ones."