Update for Sept. 25
Information from Seattle Fire Department:
Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire at a West Seattle Home on Friday was accidental. Fire investigators determined the basement bedroom fire was most likely caused by an unattended candle or improperly discarded smoking materials.

The first 911 call came in 1:05 p.m. to reports of flames visible from a one-story home with basement in the 5000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW. The firefighter/paramedics from Medic Unit 31 arrived first and made sure all occupants were safely outside the house. Firefighters ran hose lines to the basement. It took about 12 minutes to knock the flames down.

The American Red Cross was called for the two female and five male occupants who were displaced by the fire. No one was injured.

Fire investigators estimate the fire caused $30,000 damage to the structure and $15,000 to the contents.

Original post on Sept. 21
Firefighters quickly knock out Fauntleroy Way house fire; occupants escape unharmed

Fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers filled an entire city block as emergency responders came en masse to a single family house fire on the 5000 block of Fauntleroy Way S.W. around 1:05 p.m. on Sept. 21.

Paramedics were the first to arrive on the scene after 911 calls came in that flames were visible from the basement windows of the home, according to Seattle Fire spokesman Kyle Moore.

Three occupants were outside the home when they arrived, and said no one else was inside. Firefighters methodically checked the residence to make sure that was the case, working they’re way to the basement where the fire originated. Only a foot of breathable air remained at floor level due to heavy smoke.

It was a tough road getting to the “seat” of the fire in the basement, Moore said, due in large part to the challenges of piled up combustibles and a knocked-over box of hypodermic needles firefighters had to carefully navigate around.

The fire was put out within 20 minutes and the home suffered extensive smoke damage. Investigators are working now to determine the cause and extent of damage.

Moore said the victims would be assessed for alternative places to stay, and Red Cross would be called in if needed.