November 19, 2012—A cooking fire is to blame for an early morning fire at a West Seattle home according to Seattle Fire Investigators. The fire is being ruled as accidental, caused by transients cooking in the living room of the boarded up home.

The initial 911 call came in at 5:09 a.m. reporting a fire in a home located in the 9000 block of 16th Avenue SW. Engine Company 11 arrived to find flames coming from the single-story home. Those flames were exposing to houses on both sides of burning structure.

Firefighters had to cut through the boards to make their way inside the basement. The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes.

The fire investigator found evidence the home was being used for transient habitation.
The damage estimate is $151,000.