Herald staff
LYNNWOOD – A two-alarm roof fire caused an undetermined amount of damage to the Silver Cloud Inn Wednesday.
Firefighters responded about 4 p.m. to the inn at 19332 36th Ave. W. after employees discovered the fire and tried to extinguish it through the roof vents, Lynnwood Fire Lt. Merlin Halverson said.
A Lynnwood firefighter twisted his ankle and was taken to Stevens Hospital in Edmonds for an X-ray. A nursing supervisor said he was treated and released. Two other firefighters became overly fatigued and spent some extra time away from the fire to recover, Halverson said.
Firefighters arrived to find a large amount of smoke coming from the south end of the roof, and the flames spread into the parapets and an overhang, then worked their way into one guest room.
Roofers had been working on the roof earlier in the day, and employees discovered smoke after they left, Halverson said. Some employees went to the roof and sprayed fire extinguishers into the fire vents, but they told firefighters that seemed to make the fire worse, he said. The employees then called 911 and evacuated the fourth floor.
Fire officials evacuated the building, and firefighters went on the roof with chain saws and axes to get at the blaze. As the fire spread, firefighters from Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Fire District 1 joined the efforts, and the blaze was extinguished in about 45 minutes.
"Obviously it had been going for some time," Halverson said.
The fire was confined to the roof and one room, but a handful of other rooms were closed because of smoke damage, he said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.