Twenty-four people were displaced by a two-alarm fire late Monday afternoon in Kent at the Apex West Hill Apartments in the 24800 block of 46th Avenue South.
Nobody was injured in the fire, but two cats died in an adjoining unit to where the fire broke out, according to a Puget Sound Fire news release. The fire damaged three apartments. Smoke and water damaged three other units. Red Cross assisted the displaced 15 adults and nine children with finding housing.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The apartments are just east of Reith Road and south of State Route 516 (Kent Des Moines Road).
Firefighters responded at about 4:05 p.m. to a 911 call from a resident of a third-floor apartment. While en route the responding crews reported seeing a large column of heat and smoke. The first engine arrived in 5 minutes and found heavy fire from the end units of a three-story apartment building.
It appeared that all three floors were involved with fire spreading into the attic space. With the potential for three floors to be involved in fire, a second alarm was immediately called bringing additional resources to the complex.
The initial fire attack lines knocked down the fire on the outside of the building and protected the units next door while the fire was attacked on the third floor and the attic space was checked for fire spread. While it looked like all three floors were on fire, the fire in the end apartment units below the main fire were minimally involved when fire dropped from above and then spread back up the exterior siding. The fire was declared under control 26 minutes after arrival, according to Puget Sound Fire.
Sixteen fire units responded. In addition to Puget Sound Fire, assistance was provided by South King Fire and Rescue, Valley Regional Fire Authority, King County Medic 1 and Zone 3 Fire Rehab.
This marks the second major fire in four months at an apartment complex in the same neighborhood.
Residents were displaced from about 90 units and one person was injured jumping from a third-floor unit during a two-alarm fire Dec. 13 at the Woodland Estates Apartments, 4821 Kent Des Moines Road.
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