BELLEVUE, Wash. — Authorities are now calling a fire that damaged several town homes in Bellevue suspicious.
It happened just before 9 a.m. Monday in the 2600 block of 139th Avenue Southeast in the Eastgate neighborhood near Bellevue College.
Six units were damaged. Displaced families are getting help from the Red Cross.
Authorities say the fire appears to have been maliciously set.
The fire started near the back of the building and traveling into a shared attic among the six units.
Neighbor Christian Singleton still can't believe what he witnessed.
“It looked like part of the house kind of got burned down. and the windows were out at the top,” Singleton said.
It could have been a lot worse, if not for an alert neighbor.
“A neighbor in the unit to where fire originated noticed the fire, called 911, came to the side and pulled the pull station from the exit of the building, alerting the entire building,” explained Bellevue Fire Department Lt. Brian Gomez.
All the families got out safely before firefighters got on scene.
Singleton is glad no one was hurt.
“When you have town houses, every single home is connected. They’re all touching, so if you get a fire in one, you definitely have to be aware it can spread to other houses,” Singleton said. “I’m just thankful Bellevue Fire Department put it out right away.”
Damage is estimated at $200,000.