EDMONDS — A fire late Wednesday night toppled a nearly 14,000-square-foot vacant house in unincorporated Edmonds.
During the blaze’s peak, more than 50 firefighters were on the scene in the 6900 block of Fisher Road, South County Fire spokesperson Leslie Hynes said. As of Thursday, crews were putting out fires trapped in the two-story house’s “pancaked” floors, Hynes said.
“The house has collapsed for the most part,” she said.
Until the fire is extinguished, investigators can’t examine the scene and make damage estimates. It’s unclear how much longer it’ll take to knock down the fire. Investigators were expected to re-evaluate the situation Thursday night.
There were no injuries or damage to neighboring houses.
County records show the house sat on nearly five acres of land and included six bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and a carport. The property sold for $2.3 million in 2004.
Last year, Chase Bank filed in Snohomish County Superior Court to foreclose the home. That case appears to be ongoing.
Until the fire is extinguished, investigators can’t examine the scene and make damage estimates. (South County Fire)
Neighbors said it had been vacant for several years, allowing squatters to move in, according to Hynes. A note in court documents indicates the owner kept several cars and a horse on the property to deter intruders.
Between July 2018 and July 2019, authorities responded to 15 911 calls about the house, according to records obtained by The Daily Herald. Five were for suspicious activity and four were for trespassing.
Court records show the home’s previous owner hadn’t made payments going back to at least 2014.
The man, who owned a used car lot in Lynnwood, filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
In a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court later that same year, the bank that funded his business accused him of falsifying financial records and using loan money for personal expenses.
The case was settled with the owner relinquishing his business to the bank.
Crews were still working Thursday on the fire that collapsed a vacant 14,000-square-foot house on Fisher Road in Edmonds. (South County Fire)
Before that, the Edmonds home was owned by Barry Henthorn, co-founder and CEO of ReelTimeRentals, a publicly traded virtual reality company. He bought the property in 1999 for $3.5 million.
The home was originally built in 1981, according to county records.
Reporter Zachariah Bryan contributed to this story.
Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.
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