January 8, 2012—Seattle firefighters rescue a homeowner from a burning home in North Seattle this morning. At 8:39 a.m., dispatchers received a 911 call from a neighbor reporting a fire in the 8800 block of 2nd Avenue NE. Engine Company 16 arrived to find heavy black smoke and flames coming from a one story home with a daylight basement.

A firefighter pulled a man in his late 50’s from the basement of the burning home. The homeowner’s adult son and girlfriend who lived in the basement already safely evacuated.

Within 10 minutes of arriving, firefighters extinguished all the flames. The firefighters who manned the hose line reported the heat was intense inside the home indicating the fire had been burning for awhile before being reported.

Seattle Fire Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set by the homeowner who purposely remained in the house while it burned. Medics transported the homeowner to Harborview Medical Center for smoke inhalation. He was in stable condition when taken to the hospital. This afternoon, the patient was released from Harborview and transported to Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct for questioning.

The case is now under investigation by the Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad unit.

Fire investigators estimated $85,000 in damage. There is $60,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents.

Red Cross responded to house to assist the homeowner’s son and girlfriend with a place to stay.