Kent, WA March 19, 2020
This morning at 2:52 AM Puget Sound Fire crews were dispatched to a house fire in the area of 116 Ave SE and SE 234 Pl on the east hill of Kent. The initial reporting party saw the fire from 116 Ave SE and gave an approximate address. While crews were still enroute the neighbors also reported the fire stating the back of the house was fully engulfed in flame in the 11600 block of SE 235 St.
The first arriving crew confirmed the 2-story house had a basement on the back side and initiated an exterior attack with a large hose line. The call was upgraded to a working fire to obtain additional resources. Once the fire had been knocked down crews started an interior attack.
Approx. 15 minutes into the fire attack while a crew was performing a search of the upper floor, two firefighters fell through a hole in the floor into the basement. The one firefighter became tangled in a mass of wiring and had to be extricated. Crews working in the building were able to assist the fire firefighters and a an addition crew was deployed. Within 5 minutes the firefighters were disentangled and were able to exit the house from the lower floor with no injuries. While this created some tense moments, this type of scenario is something personnel train for.
The fire was out with within 40 minutes after the arrival of the first crew. Searches of the house confirmed that there was no one at home. The homeowner was still being identified. In total the response included six units from Puget Sound Fire as well as assistance from Renton Regional Fire Authority, King County Medic One and Zone 3 Rehab.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and one crew will remain on scene until daylight to assist with the investigator.
