Nineteen people escaped safely from a fire that struck at an apartment complex

Nineteen people escaped safely from a fire that struck at an apartment complex 10 a.m. Saturday at the Valli Kee apartments in the 23400 block of 104th Avenue Southeast on Kent’s East Hill.

  • BY Wire Service
  • Monday, June 2, 2008 1:50pm
  • News

Briefly

Blaze displaces Kent residents

Nineteen people escaped safely from a fire that struck at an apartment complex 10 a.m. Saturday at the Valli Kee apartments in the 23400 block of 104th Avenue Southeast on Kent’s East Hill.

Two apartment units were destroyed in the blaze and two other units were damaged, according to a Kent Fire Department media release. A cause wasn’t determined, although investigators ruled out an electrical short. As of Monday, a damage estimate hadn’t been determined.

The American Red Cross helped 17 people find alternate housing. Two other people were taken in by friends and family.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to control the fire at the apartments. The complex is owned by the King County Housing Authority.

Fire damages East Hill home Sunday

It took firefighters nearly two hours to control a house fire at 5:52 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of Alvord Avenue on Kent’s East Hill that displaced eight people.

The six adults and two children at the home escaped safely. Smoke in the second floor of the home caused family members to wake up and to flee the home, according to a Kent Fire Department media release. The American Red Cross assisted the family to find alternate housing.

An electrical problem in the attic caused the fire, according to Kent Fire Department investigators. A damage estimated has yet to be determined.

Kent students

see awards

Three Kent School District students recently received awards from the Washington State PTA for their artistic contributions to the 2007-2008 Reflections Program, an annual cultural arts event.

All state winners will be honored on stage during an awards ceremony May 4 at the Double Tree Inn, located at 18740 International Blvd. near SeaTac International Airport. The ceremony starts noon in the grand ballroom.

This year’s Kent winners are:

—Cayson Fox-Cowart, East Hill Elementary, Award of Excellence in photography

—Christine Nhan, Meeker Middle School, Award of Excellence in literature

—Candy Chang, Meeker Middle School, Award of Excellence in musical composition

For more information about the Washington State PTA Reflections program, visit www.wastatepta.org.


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