‘She wasn’t giving up’: Everett mother desperately tried to save son from deadly house fire

A 38-year-old man died in an Everett house fire after his mother desperately tried to save him from the flames, leaving a family grieving the loss of a beloved son, brother, and uncle just weeks before the holidays.

The fire broke out around 9 a.m. Nov. 2 at the Lyons family’s home. Family members said Kierstin Lyons was inside with her son, Brandon Lyons, who was developmentally disabled and on the lower level of the home when the fire erupted.

“She was trying so hard to get to my brother, and she wasn’t giving up,” said Brandon’s sister, Ashley Lyons.

Ashley said her mother tried to wrap a wet towel around her face and make her way downstairs, but the fire blocked her path. She then went around the home, broke a window and ripped bars from it in another attempt to reach Brandon.

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Family members said Kierstin even attempted to fight the flames with a garden hose before firefighters pulled her away.

Blake Lyons, Brandon’s nephew, arrived at the home as it burned and found his grandmother in shock.

“I asked where Brandon was,” Blake said. “She said, still in the house.”

Kierstin survived but suffered burns and smoke inhalation, according to her family. Brandon did not make it out.

Now, as Kierstin recovers, relatives say she is struggling with the loss of a son who was at the center of their family.

“There was never really a family event I can remember where he’s not there,” Blake said. “He was always the highlight of every night.”

Brandon would have turned 39 soon, and his family is now facing the holidays without him.

“Brandon was probably the most important person to all of us,” Ashley said.

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The fire also left the family without many of their belongings and facing medical expenses. A family friend has organized a GoFundMe to help them recover.

“They lost everything in the fire, so they don’t have any clothes or shoes, literally nothing,” Ashley said.

The Lyons family said they do not know when, or whether, they will be able to return to their home.

The Everett Fire Department says preliminary signs indicate the fire was accidental, though investigators are still working to determine the exact cause.

A link to the family’s GoFundMe can be found here.