January 23—Fire Investigators determined a house fire in the Pinehurst neighborhood was accidental, caused by unattended food on the stove.
At 5:41 p.m. a smoke alarm alerted the lone resident of the home to a fire in his kitchen. The automatic fire alarm alerted dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center to the fire at a 2-story home with basement in the 800 block of NE 123rd Street. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting out of the first floor kitchen, up along the side of the house, through the roof and out the windows of the first floor of the home. The flames also spread to trees and bushes on both sides of the house. The fire threatened a neighbor’s home.
Through their aggressive actions, firefighters were able to contain the fire to the house of origin and prevent it from spreading to the neighboring houses. A challenge to firefighters was the high load of combustible materials stored both inside the home and around the surrounding property. It took approximately 50 minutes to completely extinguish the fire. However, several hot spots flared up through the evening. An engine company stayed outside the home throughout the night for a Fire Watch to ensure the flare-ups were quickly extinguished.
When firefighters arrived they found the lone occupant outside the home with burns to his arms suffered while he tried to extinguish the flames. Medics treated the man in his 60’s for minor 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He declined transport to the hospital but opted to have a relative drive him to Harborview Medical Center
The investigators determined the home was a complete loss. The damage estimate is $250,000 to the structure and $100,000 to the contents.