A woman died in an apartment fire in Mill Creek on Sunday morning, police and fire officials said.
The woman’s name and age were not released. She is believed to be the lone current resident of the apartment where the fire broke out, in the Laurel Apartments at 1226 164th Street SE, said Bill Wirtz, a battalion chief at Snohomish County Fire District 7.
Residents of at least three apartments also were forced from their homes and were being assisted by the Red Cross.
The cause of the woman’s death was not known Sunday, but fire officials said it was believed the woman died of smoke inhalation.
The woman’s husband is serving in the National Guard in Iraq, said Coni Conner, disaster services manager for the Everett chapter of the Red Cross.
The Red Cross had reached his unit Sunday to try to notify him of his wife’s death but had yet to speak directly to him, Conner said.
The fire was contained to the apartment where it started, a corner unit on the top floor, fire officials said. Three other units were damaged by water used to put out the fire, and the residents were evacuated as a precaution against water affecting the electrical systems in the units, Wirtz said. Damage estimates were not available.
The cause of the fire was not known Sunday. The fire is believed to have started in the apartment’s bedroom, Wirtz said.
There was nothing about the fire that led officials to believe it was anything other than accidental, said Becky Erk, spokeswoman for Mill Creek police.
Erk said the fire was “pretty involved” by the time it was reported at 9:54 a.m. Firefighters from District 7 arrived five minutes later and then were joined by five neighboring departments.
Firefighters did not hear a smoke alarm when they entered the apartment, Wirtz said. A smoke detector had been installed in the unit but fire officials didn’t know Sunday if it was working.
Seven or eight workers from the Red Cross’ Everett chapter were at the complex to help the displaced families, Conner said. Those on the scene included a registered nurse and a mental health counselor, she said.
Fourteen adults and five children living in six of the adjacent apartments were offered food and temporary lodging by the Red Cross, Conner said.
Reporter Diana Hefley contributed to this story.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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