It's a long road back for Yakima fire victim

YAKIMA, Wash. — After surviving a fatal fire in Southeast Yakima three months ago, 18-year-old Jordan Everhart is talking, eating and even walking a few steps.

Everhart, who was in a coma for about two months after the March 19 fire, is undergoing daily rehabilitation therapy at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

“He’s learning the basics, how to walk, how to get motion in his arms and his legs,” said his stepfather, Haywood Irwin. “And the family is a lot better now that we see him making such good progress. We’re encouraged by what he’s doing and how hard he’s working.”

Everhart and his friend Paris Reid, 20, were in a home in the 600 block of South Naches Avenue in Yakima with a family they knew when the fire took place. Reid did not survive the fire, and investigators never determined its cause.

Everhart’s mother said that while her son is recovering physically, he’s only now dealing with the emotional trauma.

“He’s just now starting to cope and go through the grieving process of everything that’s happened,” Caroline Irwin said in a telephone interview from the family’s home in Tacoma. “It’s really hard.”

Everhart, who suffered major burn damage on his backside and feet, will continue undergoing surgeries for skin grafting, she added.

“He’s just trying to stay healthy because infection is always a big concern when you have burns like that.”

A fund in Jordan Everhart’s name has been set up at Chase Bank to help pay for hospital costs. His family has set up an online journal with photos to track his recovery at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jordaneverhart.