When Tuan Hoang’s went to sleep on the night of Aug. 24 he never imagined he might lose most of his possessions by morning.

But he awoke to smoke coming from the kitchen and knew he and his six family members staying with him in his rented home at 10044 20th Ave. S.W. had to get out right away.

Now, with the help of the American Red Cross, Hoang’s family is staying in a hotel near the Southcenter Mall, while he looks for a new place to live.

“We lost almost everything,” Hoang said.

Hoang said he needs just about everything to start over, including clothes, kitchen tools, appliances, beds and other furniture.

Hoang is from Vietnam originally but has been living in Seattle since 2002. he had rented the North Highline home since January.

At 4:45 a.m. on Aug. 24, units from the North Highline Fire District, City of SeaTac Fire Services and Burien Fire Department responded to the call, according to a report from the North Highline Fire. Initial reports indicated that the whole top floor of the house was on fire.

According to the report, "The first engine arrived to see flames shooting out of the upper floor windows. Fire was confined to the second floor with some extension to the attic. The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the King County Fire Investigation Unit.

The American Red Cross is collecting donations Hoang’s family and in the meantime is providing them with shelter, food, clothing and other related support.

"All Red Cross assistance is free so if people would like to donate to our local family relief fund it would help families like the one from the fire yesterday," said Red Cross spokesperson Katherine Boury. "Donation information is available on our web site at www.seattleredcross.org."

According to Boury, the American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties responds to an emergency similar to this one every 42 hours. 

Red Cross assistance is free.  More information about the Red Cross can be found at www.seattleredcross.org.

The North Highline Fire Department has not returned calls yet about the cause of the fire or damage estimates.