Update 10:35am
Information from the Seattle Fire Department

Seattle Fire Investigators determined an early morning apartment fire in West Seattle was caused by an electrical malfunction in the kitchen range which ignited combustible materials in the kitchen. Investigators say the kitchen fire extended to the living room of the bottom level unit. The fire is being ruled accidental.

At 2:10 a.m. a 911 call came into a dispatcher at the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire at the four-story complex. Ladder Company 11 arrived to find heavy smoke inside the complex and flames coming from a bottom level unit. It took 12 minutes to knock down the flames and an hour to completely extinguish the fire inside the first floor unit. Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the one unit. Smoke from the fire did fill the hallways of the complex.

32 people were displaced when smoke filled the hallways of the complex. A library staff member of the Southwest branch opened up a classroom of the library located across the street from the apartment complex to temporarily shelter the evacuated residents.

The apartment resident says a smoke detector alerted her to the fire which allowed her to safely escape. The Red Cross was called to assist the one resident with temporary shelter.

The damage estimate is $47,000.

Original Post
A fire that began in a stove in an apartment building at 9021 35th SW forced 32 people outside around 2:20 am Monday April 29. No one was hurt in the fire.

911 reports brought multiple crews to the scene but people in the building had already come outside when they got there.

The fire was dealt with quickly but fire crews checked on all apartments for CO2 levels and the process took awhile.

The West Seattle Herald's news partner Q13Fox reported that one resident said the fire started right below her apartment.

“The fire alarm went off so we checked to see if it was the intercom,” the resident said. “We thought someone was at the door and then we checked out the window and there was fire going out the window, so we opened the door to get and there was just a cloud of smoke in the hallway and then when you went down the stairs. It was, just, like intense.”

The fire is under investigation. No word yet on the cost of the damage.

Read more: http://q13fox.com/2013/04/29/32-evacuated-after-early-morning-fire-in-w…