EVERETT – A man died early Monday in a fire caused by food left on the kitchen stove, fire investigators said.
Neighbors reported the blaze at 2119 74th St. SE shortly after 1:30 a.m., Everett fire inspector Rick Robinson said.
Firefighters found a man’s body inside the living room, where he’d been sleeping. The man’s name was not released Monday, but firefighters and neighbors believe he’s the owner of the house.
He’d been remodeling the three-bedroom home for more than a month and planned to live there with his girlfriend, next-door neighbor John Sorensen said.
“I saw the flames shooting 20 feet up, and I was just hoping he wasn’t in there,” Sorensen said. “But we saw his truck outside, and whenever the truck was there, he was there.”
His neighbor had recently removed the home’s textured ceilings, Sorensen said. That’s likely why the home had no working smoke detectors, he said.
“They were pretty close to finishing it. All they needed to do was redo the ceiling, put in the carpet and paint,” Sorensen said. “They probably would have moved in next month.”
The man died of burns and smoke inhalation, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The fire, which was extinguished by 6 a.m., destroyed the kitchen, spread through the attic and consumed most of the roof. The rest of the house suffered heavy heat and smoke damage.
“It’s a tragedy,” Robinson said. “Even though smoke detectors won’t stop a fire from starting, having them is an important protection measure for yourself and your home.”
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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