KENT, Washington — The roof of a Kent home and a home next door were damaged Thursday in a fire that was sparked by fireworks, the Kent Fire Department said.
The blaze broke out just before 1 p.m. in the 20800 block of 102nd Place Southeast. Smoke was still billowing out of the charred cedar shake roof when a KIRO 7 news crew arrived.
"My girlfriend called me, told me the house was on fire," homeowner Ken McCollough said.
He said he was at work and no one was in the house when the fire broke out, but neighbors said they heard plenty of fireworks going off outside on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
"Like a war zone last night, all night long," neighbor John Crowder said.
McCollough had to choose his words carefully when asked how he felt about that.
"I'm ticked, put it that way," he said.
When KIRO 7's Chris Legeros look down at the street, there was fireworks debris everywhere. A fire chief said an investigator was able to get into the house Thursday afternoon and confirm that fireworks were probably responsible for the loss of McCollough's home.
"I think they should be banned," neighbor Denise Crowder said. "It scares me to death."
State law allows for fireworks to be set off from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 5, but in the city of Kent, setting off fireworks is only legal from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4 (PDF).
The fire chief on scene said a fire like this one can smoulder for hours and it's unlikely investigators will be able to determine who was responsible for setting off the firework that started it. It could have started Wednesday night or Thursday morning. No witnesses have come forward to identify who may have been responsible.