A 32-year-old man died early Saturday in a Panther Lake house fire in the 10900 block of Southeast 212th Street in unincorporated Kent.
King County fire investigators determined the fire started in the kitchen when a burner on the stove was accidentally left on and ignited combustibles on the burner, according to a Kent Fire Department media release.
The identity of the man had yet to be released at press time Monday by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. The man had been housesitting for his parents.
A King County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed a strong smell of smoke while he patrolled the neighborhood at about 3 a.m. Saturday along Southeast 212th Street. The deputy called the fire department.
Neighbors told the deputy that a man might be inside the home. The deputy tried to enter the residence, but was driven back by heat and smoke.
Kent firefighters discovered heavy flames and thick smoke through the roof on the backside of the house.
Firefighters found the man in a back bedroom unconscious and unresponsive, and removed him from the house. Paramedics gave him CPR in the driveway, but he died at the scene.
Investigators estimated damage to the home at $200,000. The home had a smoke detector, but investigators were unsure if the detector was working at the time of the fire.
It took about 20 minutes for firefighters to control the fire.
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