Seattle Fire Department says an overheated electrical cord caused a large house fire in Greenwood early Monday morning.
From SFD’s Fire Line (which mistakenly called the area North Ballard):
December 2—An overheated exterior extension cord caused a fire at a home located in North Ballard this morning.
At 1:39 a.m. dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center received a call reporting flames coming from a home located in the 9700 block of 1st Avenue NW. When Engine Company 31 arrived, they found heavy flames coming from the front porch of the 2-story home. The flames were threatening two homes on either side of the house. Due to the threatening flames, firefighters evacuated both homes on either side of the burning house.
The three occupants of the burning home had safely evacuated from their basement bedroom by the time firefighters arrived on scene. The occupants said the home’s working smoke detectors sounded alerting them to evacuate. Paramedics evaluated and treated the three patients for minor smoke inhalation. Medics and AMR transported the three patients, an adult male, an adult female and an elementary age boy to Harborview to be evaluated by doctors.
It took about 80 minutes to completely extinguish the flames Puget Sound Energy crews were called to secure the gas line to the home. Seattle City Light crews were called to turn off power to the house and the charged electrical lines lying in the front yard.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury while battling the fire. Medics transported him to Harborview Medical Center where he was treated and released.
Fire investigators determined an extension cord overheated igniting combustible materials beneath the front porch. The damage estimate is $300,000 to the structure and $150,000 to the contents.
