Firefighters deal with snowy, icy roads to fight fires

CARNATION, Wash. — From Tukwila to Carnation, firefighters had to deal with icy and snowy road conditions to get to their calls.

In Carnation, a fire broke out at a home in the 33400 block of Northeast 45th Street shortly before midnight Monday.

Fire crews said they used extra caution because of snow and ice on the ground. The roads were cleared enough that chains were not needed to get there.

“We did have crews that had chains that had to drop them before they responded,” Battalion Chief Ben Lane said. “Or else that would have slowed our response time significantly.”

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​A man who was inside the home when the fire started escaped without injury.

He said he was watching TV when he smelled smoke, went to the back of the house and saw an electrical panel on fire but couldn’t call the fire department immediately because he did not have a land line and had to drive a distance to get a signal on his cellphone.

In Tukwila, a woman was hospitalized after her home in the 15800 block of 42nd Avenue South caught fire at 7 p.m, Monday.

Road conditions played a big role in the fire fight because 42nd Avenue South between 160th Street and 158th Street was closed for construction so it hadn’t been plowed.

There’s a few inches of slush and snow on the road, and bringing a 40,000 pound fire engine down a snowy road was a struggle.

Once they arrived, firefighters quickly entered the home and found an unconscious woman in a back bedroom.

While some firefighters brought the woman outside, others continued working to control the flames and search the rest of the house.

CPR was started on the woman firefighters and King County paramedics. Medics were able to restore a pulse in the woman and quickly transported her to a local hospital. She is in critical condition.

A dog was also rescued from the burning home.

Cox Media Group