MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A fire started by embers from a fish smoker charred two neighboring Mountlake Terrace homes early Oct. 13.
Each house had about $30,000 damage, leaving both families temporarily homeless.
The fire was reported at 3:10 a.m. by neighbors who live across the street from the homes in the 22900 block of 53rd Avenue W.
They discovered the fire when they got up to see why their dogs were barking, said Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes.
“They called 911 and knocked on their neighbors’ doors to wake them and alert them to the fire,” she said.
Four people – two from each house – escaped safely.
The two homes are about 10 feet apart, she said. The fire spread from a shed behind one of the homes to the siding on both houses, Hynes said.
From there, flames got into the attic spaces. The fire caused heavy damage to a recently completed second-story addition to one of the homes.
Firefighters from Mountlake Terrace, Fire District 1, Edmonds and Lynnwood responded.
Both homeowners have insurance. The houses are temporarily uninhabitable.
The residents are getting help from Support 7, a non-profit on-scene assistance program based in Edmonds and Lynnwood.
Hynes urged people to use caution with barbecue and fireplace embers. They should be put in a metal container and kept far away from the house, she said.
Residents also should make sure the embers are fully extinguished, she said.
“Sometimes they can appear to be out and reignite,” she said.
Last winter, at least two fires were caused by ashes from fireplaces that people thought had been put out.
Katherine Schiffner is a reporter for the Herald in Everett.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
