The sound of smoke alarms helped save the lives of four family members in Kent from a late Thursday night, Aug. 1 house fire in the 22400 block of 134th Place SE.
Firefighters arrived at about 11:53 p.m. and encountered a large amount of fire coming from the front and back sides of the house, according to an Aug. 2 email from Puget Sound Fire spokesperson Pat Pawlak. It took firefighters over an hour to extinguish the fire. All the residents safely escaped.
“A very important takeaway from this fire is the fact that the family members were asleep at the time of the fire and they were alerted about the fire because the smoke alarms sounded,” Pawlak said. “Had the smoke alarms not sounded, there is a high possibility that this fire could have caused a loss of life.”
Pawlak said people need to test their smoke alarms monthly and to have and practice a home escape plan.
The fire displaced the four family members and the American Red Cross is assisting them with emergency housing needs, Pawlak said. One resident was treated for minor injuries and transported to a local hospital by ambulance for observation.
Pawlak said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Eleven fire department units and over 20 fire department personnel responded. The intense radiant heat from the fire caused damage to the houses on either side.
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Fire damage to a Kent home from an Aug. 1 fire. COURTESY PHOTO, Puget Sound Fire
