The strong smell of burnt wood lingered in the air this afternoon as investigators looked for clues to the cause of the Wednesday night house fire in View Ridge.
The house, at 7352 58th Ave NE, was boarded up and rimmed with caution tape. Firetrucks came and went during the day along with other fire and police vehicles. The fire began in the basement before making its way to the top floor and the attic, said a Seattle Fire Department spokesman. At its height, large flames shot into the air above the house, followed by a large column of smoke. Six fire trucks, including two ladder trucks, responded.
The cause remains under investigation.
The home was undergoing a remodel and was not occupied. One injury was reported, however. A firefighter suffered a minor injury when he stepped onto the main level floor, only to have it collapse. Investigators said he was lucky to not have been hurt more badly and it was fortunate that other firefighters did not enter and fall through the floor, which apparently was a makeshift plywood floor as part of the remodel.
With firefighters restricted to fighting the fire defensively from outside, one investigator said they were fortunate to keep it contained so it did not spread to nearby trees and other homes, which are not spaced very far apart.
The owner of the home said he and his wife were living in a nearby apartment while the home was being remodeled. He said the couple had spent about $140,000 on the remodel and was almost done. He added that they recently had their first child after making it through a pregnancy that was filled with complications.
An investigator from the Seattle police bomb and arson squad interviewed the couple for quite a while in front of the house. The investigation is ongoing.
The husband said the house is pretty much destroyed and that the couple now plans to tear the house down and rebuild from scratch.
