Fire forces evacuation of office building

Published 10:22 pm Wednesday, October 22, 2008

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A Mountlake Terrace office building was evacuated Wednesday after a small electrical fire in a rooftop heating system pumped smoke throughout the structure.

Workers on the top floor of the two-story Terrace Village Professional Center in the 22000 block of 64th Avenue W. called 911 at 1:35 p.m. to report smoke, Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.

Firefighters arrived and ordered everyone in the building to leave as they tried to find the source of the smoke.

“The electrical fire ignited filters in the ventilation unit, which pumped smoke into the building,” Hyne said.

The fire was contained to the ventilation unit and did not spread. Damage was estimated at $12,000, she said.

Employees and customers were allowed back in the building after firefighters used fans to clear out the smoke.