Former Battle Ground woman dies 3 months after being injured in Portland fire

By Craig Brown, Columbian Editor

Published: October 19, 2021, 10:50am

Kelsi Edmonds died months after being severely injured in a Portland apartment fire. She was a Prairie High School grad and had lived in Battle Ground until July 2020. (Courtesy photo)

A 26-year-old woman from Battle Ground died in a Portland hospital Thursday, more than three months after being injured in a July 4 apartment fire.

Kelsi Grae Edmonds, 26, died at Legacy Emanuel Burn Center. She was the third person to die in the aftermath of the 3:30 a.m. fire, which authorities believe was started by fireworks igniting a dumpster. The flames spread into the Heidi Manor apartment complex in Northeast Portland, trapping the victims.

Edmonds’ boyfriend, Seth Thompson, also died in the fire, along with Thompson’s roommate, Robert Gremillion.

According to an online obituary, “Kelsi was kind, sweet natured, loyal, humble, and very intelligent. She was passionate about music and loved playing her violin.”

She played in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for two years. Edmonds graduated from Prairie High School and The Evergreen State College.

“She loved to read and she loved animals,” according to her obituary. “She adored her two cats, Cornelius and Paloma. She enjoyed working as an extraction chemist at Columbia Food Laboratories.”

According to a GoFundMe set up for her medical expenses, “Two weeks before her passing, Kelsi had gained consciousness and was able to speak. She was so grateful for everyone who had reached out and had sent their kind wishes.”

Survivors include her parents, Brian and Sondra Edmonds, and a brother, Brendan Edmonds.

No funeral service has been announced.