Work on plumbing by homeowner determined as cause of fire; $65,000 damage
Tue, 10/23/2012
Seattle Fire Department's Kyle Moore has released the cause of the fire on Oct. 22 at 9057 21st Ave. SW.:
"A Seattle Fire Investigator determined a fire that caused $65,000 in damage at a West Seattle home last night was accidental. The occupant of the home was working on plumbing when the heat from the plumbing work ignited the wall and extended into the attic space.
At 10:10 p.m., a call came in the Fire Alarm Center reporting flames coming from the wall of a home in the 9000 block of 21st Avenue SW. Engine Company 11 arrived to find smoke coming from the roof of the two-story home. The firefighters used an attack hose line to knock down the flames while the first in Ladder Company searched the residence for occupants and then headed to the roof to cut holes in order to vent the smoke and heat.
Firefighters discovered the fire inside the walls of the home. The flames extended up the walls into the attic. Crews removed two walls and brought down ceilings in order to completely extinguish the flames. It took approximately 30 minutes to completely knock down this fire.
There occupants safely evacuated the home and there were no reported injuries.
The damage estimate is $65,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.