Snohomish County Fire District 1

A bedroom fire on Feb. 4 caused $20,000 damage to a condominium in Edmonds, displacing the three people who lived there.

No one was inside the townhouse unit in the 7800 block of 196th St. SW at the time of the fire and no one was injured. The owner called 9-1-1 at 11:11 a.m. when she returned home from work to find her townhouse filled with smoke.

Firefighters quickly extinguished a small fire in an upstairs bedroom. “They were able to contain the fire to a small area in the bedroom, but there was smoke damage throughout the second floor of the townhouse,” said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1, which provides fire and emergency medical service in Edmonds.

The owner has insurance. Investigators determined the accidental fire was started by combustibles placed too close to an electric in-wall heater.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen quite a few fires this winter that started the same way. All combustible items such as papers, books, furniture, curtains and clothing should be at least three feet away from electric in-wall and baseboard heaters,” Hynes said.

###

FD1 firefighters responded to a rollover collision involving a pickup truck and a mini-van in the 500 block of 128th St. SW in the Mariner neighborhood south of Everett on Feb. 4 at 2:52 p.m. No one was injured.

A small dog died in a fire that caused more than $100,000 damage to an Edmonds home Feb. 2.

A neighbor called 9-1-1 at 12:18 p.m. to report he could hear a smoke alarm sounding and smoke coming from the eaves at both ends of a house in the 22100 block of 88th Avenue W. No one was home at the time of the fire and no one was injured.

“Firefighters made a quick attack and were able to contain most of the fire damage to the kitchen area and attic space above. However, there was heavy smoke damage throughout the house,” said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

The fire left the house uninhabitable and displaced three adults. The homeowners have insurance.

The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s office determined the accidental fire was most likely started by combustibles left on a gas stovetop where a burner control may have been inadvertently bumped into lighting position.
“To prevent fires, keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop even when it’s not in use,” Hynes said.
###

Thirty-three firefighters from Snohomish County Fire District 1 plan to make the 69-story climb to the top of the Columbia Tower in Seattle on March 7 in the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The event attracts hundreds of firefighters from throughout the Northwest and as far away as New Zealand. Climbing 1,311 steps to top of the Columbia Tower is challenge enough, but these firefighters will be wearing full bunker gear weighing 25 pounds and using breathing apparatus weighing another 25 pounds.

Raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in this event has taken on special meaning at Fire District 1 as two firefighters within its ranks have been diagnosed with forms of the disease in recent years. Donations can be made online at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website.

District 1 firefighters collecting pledges and training for the Firefighter Stair Climb are Keith Bien, George Boling, Matt Bowden, Deanna Carter, Brent Chomos, Bryan Collins, Shane Cooper, Nate Crawford, Paul Cretella, Bryan Eusterbrock, Kevin Fetter, Scott Fitzpatrick, Steve Francis, Micah Gaston, Kevin Gustafson, Kurt Hilt, Andy Irish, Tom Keene, Neil Kelly, Dennis Lunny, Jesse McCormick, Bryce NcCorchuk, Nicole Picknell, Mike Read, Melissa Reimer, Gene Smith, Josh Stadler, Jim Starck, Matt Stiefel, Dan Tobin, Chris Tompkins, Jaret Vosburgh and Todd Wigal.

Fire District 1 is largest provider of fire and emergency medical services in Snohomish County, with full-time staffing at 11 fire stations. The department serves more than 225,000 residents in the unincorporated communities of Silver Firs, Eastmont, Mariner, Lake Serene, Picnic Point, Martha Lake, Mariner, Lake Stickney, Norma Beach, Hilltop, Hilton Lake, Pioneer Trails and the cities of Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace and the town of Woodway.

###