North Spokane, Washington - December 4, 2023
It was supposed to be a routine drive. Zowie Melin was at the intersection of Francis and Wall in North Spokane with her 3-year-old daughter buckled in the back seat.
Then her car burst into flames.
The Fire
There was no warning. Suddenly fire was everywhere - spreading fast, filling the car with smoke. And her daughter was trapped in the back seat, strapped into her car seat.
Zowie had seconds to act.
Through the Flames
Without hesitation, she climbed from the driver's seat into the back of the burning vehicle. Flames licking around her. Smoke filling her lungs. Her only thought: reach her daughter.
"I was just scared I was going to lose my daughter," Melin said.
She fought through the smoke and heat to unbuckle her child from the car seat.
"All you really think about is that your child is OK. Just trying to get to her as fast as I could is all I could think about."
Escape
She got her daughter out. They both made it to safety.
Behind them, their car was consumed by flames. They watched it burn.
"It was really hard for both of us to watch our car go up in flames," Melin shared.
Aftermath
The single mother lost her car - her lifeline for work, for getting her daughter to daycare, for everything. But she didn't lose what mattered most.
When fire surrounded her child, Zowie Melin didn't run away from it. She climbed toward it.
Because that's what mothers do.