EDMONDS — A fire at an Edmonds apartment complex uprooted seven people from their homes Thursday.
The fire was reported around 10:20 a.m. at a two-story apartment complex in the 7400 block of 208th St. SW, just south of College Place Middle School.
Two units were damaged.
Firefighters believe the fire was caused by cooking oil left heating unattended on a stove, Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.
The apartment where the fire started was heavily damaged by smoke and flames and the unit below sustained heavy water damage, Hynes said. Both apartments are uninhabitable.
The fire caused more than $80,000 damage.
A woman in the apartment where the fire occurred escaped with her 2-year-old daughter. Neighbors called 911.
Firefighters from Fire District 1 and Lynnwood Fire Department responded to the call.
“Heavy smoke was coming from the roof and flames were shooting out a back window of the second-floor apartment when our crews arrived,” Hynes said.
Firefighters had the fire under control within 10 minutes. No one was injured.
The Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross was assisting both families, Hynes said. Neither family has insurance.
Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in those fires.
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