MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — An early morning mobile home fire Monday killed one person and a cat in Mountlake Terrace.
The fire was reported around 3:30 a.m. Monday at a mobile home park. The initial report was that a fence was on fire along 56th Avenue W and 242nd Street SW.
Firefighters arrived to discover the mobile home also was ablaze. More units were called.
A woman in her 50s died in the fire, said Leslie Hynes, a spokeswoman for South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner is expected to release the identity and cause of death.
“There was nothing that appears suspicious about the fire,” Hynes said.
Most of the damage was to a bedroom, Hynes said. About 20 firefighters from South Snohomish County and Shoreline departments were able to keep the flames from spreading to other homes.
A fire marshal estimated the damage at $75,000. A cause wasn’t released Monday but could be later in the week, Hynes said.
The home was evacuated during the investigation when an explosive-looking device was discovered and a bomb squad was summoned. The device turned out to be a lighter in the shape of a grenade, Hynes said.
Fatal fires have been rare in Mountlake Terrace city limits. Fire officials Monday recounted a 2005 tragedy when two young boys, 4 and 6, died in an apartment fire. In 1996, a mother and son also died in an apartment fire.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
