Man and cat die in Everett apartment fire

EVERETT — A man and a cat died early Sunday morning in an apartment fire believed to have been started by a cigarette that ignited a mattress.

Fire broke out in a unit shortly after midnight at the Parkside Apartments in the 900 block of West Casino Road.

People called 911 after hearing an alarm and seeing smoke wafting from the building. Firefighters entered a second-story apartment and searched through thick smoke, according to the Everett Fire Department. They found a mattress fire in the bedroom and an unresponsive man, who was not resuscitated or revived.

An Everett Fire Department investigator’s early evaluation found that a cigarette may have caused the fire.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death as well as identify the victim.

The Everett Fire Department recommends that people have working smoke alarms and test them monthly; smoke outside and never in bed or when drowsy, intoxicated or medicated; use large, deep, non-tip ashtrays; completely douse cigarette butts and ashes with water before throwing them away; never smoke where an oxygen tank is in use; keep lighters and matches out of reach of young children, preferably in a locked cabinet; and not leave cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended.