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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mother killed in Elk fire identified

A young mother killed in a mobile home fire in Elk last weekend has been identified as 23-year-old Terrianne Marie Gilley.

The Spokane County medical examiner’s office on Tuesday had not yet identified a young boy who died with Gilley, but Gilley’s father said he is her son, 2-year-old Samuel Gilley Watkins.

Investigators still are trying to determine what caused the fire at 13212 E. Blanchard St. on Saturday, said Pat Humphries, spokesman for Fire District 4.

The fire, which began about 1 p.m., destroyed the 30-foot motor home and a nearby barn. Gilley’s 5-year-old son, Nathan, was out with his grandmother at the time, said Gilley’s father, Mark Gilley.

The boys’ father, Gilley’s boyfriend, was working on a vehicle in the area and responded to the home when he saw smoke. He tried to save the two and was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Humphries said.

“He attempted to save them, but from everything that I know, they were already dead,” Mark Gilley said, adding he’s heard the blaze may have been sparked by a cigarette or by a blanket coming into contact with a space heater.

Mark Gilley, a truck driver, called his daughter “a very fun-loving woman” who moved to the Spokane area in 2002.

The medical examiner’s office has not yet determined a cause of death.

A memorial service is planned for Jan. 15.

Clothing and other donations can be made at All Around Rental, 39505 N. Newport Highway in Elk, (509) 292-7368, or at Holz Fuel, 5526 N. Market St., in Spokane, (509) 487-1215.