Kirkland Firefighters Urge Caution After Fourth Residential Fire in Nine Days

Kirkland Fire Department officials are urging residents to use extra caution due to extremely dry conditions after battling their fourth fire or smoke-related incident at Juanita residences in the last nine days.

“The fire danger is really high right now,” said KFD Battalion Chief Joe Sanford after firefighters extinguished a deck fire early Friday morning at an apartment complex in the 11400 block of 102 Court NE. “People really need to be careful.”

The National Weather Service on because of critical fire conditions and a lack of significant rain for weeks.

The deck fire broke out at about 1:40 a.m. and damaged only one unit in the building, being quickly put out by KFD Engine 21. Four fire engines, two ladder trucks and three aide units responded, with two of the responders coming from the Bothell Fire Department. One male occupant of the apartment unit was treated for minor smoke inhalation at the scene but did not have to be taken to the hospital.

“The deck was pretty well going” when firefighters arrived, said Sanford. “They knocked it down on the deck and found it had moved up the wall. They had to tear into some wall to prevent it from going into the attic. The fire didn’t get into the occupancy.”

An investigation found the fire was accidental, caused by unextinguished smoking material. There was no estimate of damage, and Sanford did not believe the occupants of the unit were displaced.

It was the fourth incident at a Juanita residence in just nine days. On Sept. 6, owned by the Kirkland housing service agency KITH. The next day Kirkland firefighters responded to smoke coming from a unit at the Chelsea complex in Juanita Village. And the day after that firefighters from Kirkland, Bothell, Northshore, Woodinville and Bellevue put out a fire at a house in Juanita -- while most other Kirkland units were responding to In addition, that damaged an apartment complex on Market Street.

Firefighters do not believe the fires are the result of anything untoward. “Probably the only connection is the long, hot and dry weather we’ve been having,” said Sanford.