Kent firefighters were dispatched to the 16400 block of SE 235 Street at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, after receiving reports of a possible house fire.

When firefighters arrived, they found black smoke coming from the backside of a one and two story single family home. According to the resident, later confirmed by the King County fire investigator, a discarded cigarette on the back deck caused the fire. That occupant was able to escape with only minor burns. Two other adults who live in the home were not there at the time of the fire.

Once the deck of the house became involved, the fire spread to the siding. From there it was able to get into the attic space and quickly traveled to other parts of the home. Firefighters worked hard to keep the flames from spreading to the living space and were successful after fighting the fire for over 40 minutes. Despite this, there was extensive smoke damage throughout the house.

The warm weather required firefighters to work for shorter periods of time in the hot and smoky atmosphere than normal before being sent to rehabilitation for fluids and a check of their vital signs by King County paramedics. Even warmer weather later this week will compound this problem at many incidents.

The cause of the fire was a discarded cigarette and has been determined to be accidental. Red Cross was called in to assist all three residents and it is unclear whether the home had working smoke alarms.