A fire damaged four Kent apartment units and displaced a dozen residents late Saturday night, the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority reported.
There were no injuries, but two cats perished in the fire in the 24100 block of 62nd Way South.
At 11:19 p.m. Puget Sound Fire units were dispatched to a reported apartment fire. The first crew arrived five minutes later and found the fire had spread from the deck to the third floor apartment.
In total, eight fire department units responded, including a ladder truck from South King Fire and Rescue. King County Medic 1 and Zone 3 rehab provided additional help.
Puget Sound Fire declared the fire under control at 11:59 p.m. An adjoining unit suffered some heat and smoke damage and the two apartments below the fire suffered water damage.
The cause of the fire was determined to be hot embers that had been removed from the fireplace earlier in the evening and disposed of in a plastic container on the deck. The loss to the structure and contents is estimated at $450,000.
Crews remained on the scene for the rest of the night to monitor for hot spots.
Red Cross was helping the displaced residents.
Remember when disposing of hot ashes place them in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid and place them away from combustibles, Puget Sound Fire said. Keeping doors closed also limits the spread of fire as well as damage due to heat and smoke.
