March 5—A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the cause of a Phinney Ridge apartment complex fire was accidental. A fire smoldering from a roof operation earlier in the day reignited and damaged a small section of the roof.

At 6:50 p.m. dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a fire on a roof of a four-story apartment complex located at 7100 block of Greenwood Avenue North. Phinney Ridge Engine Company 21 arrived 3 minutes later to find about three feet of flames coming from the Northwest section of the roof. Firefighters ran a hose line up to the roof and quickly doused a five foot by five foot section of the roof.

The occupant of the apartment located below the roof fire was evacuated. Red Cross provided temporary housing for the renter and his cat.

Within an hour, the rest of the residents of the 21 unit building were allowed to reoccupy their units.

As a precaution, firefighters remained overnight outside the complex to make sure the roof fire did not reignite.

The damage estimate is $20,000.