LYNNWOOD — A camper caught fire near Lynnwood on Monday morning at an apparently illegal trailer park set up in an industrial lot.
A woman who was living in the 15-foot camper was taken to the hospital as a precaution. She had a medical problem not related to the fire, said Leslie Hynes, spokeswoman for Snohomish County Fire District 1.
The lot is at 16906 17th Ave. W., south of the Walmart.
The fire was reported at 8:08 a.m. and was extinguished about a half-hour later. The suspected cause is cigarettes, Hynes said. Damage was estimated at $12,000.
The neighbors clapped as a woman emerged from the trailers to say that her sister escaped the flames that swept through her camper. The neighbors denied that anyone was living on the property.
Two other trailers and a car were damaged from the heat. At times, the fire shot 20 feet in the air, sending black smoke over I-5 and slowing traffic for about a mile.
A history of problems at the site prompted a large police response in addition to the firefighters.
About a dozen travel trailers and campers were on the lot, Hynes said. County code enforcement is investigating, as the site is not permitted for use as a trailer park, she said.
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