EVERETT, Wash. — An early morning fire at the Centerpointe apartments in Everett damaged at least six units on Monday, forcing residents to evacuate the building.
The Everett and South County Fire departments responded to the scene to control the flames that gutted portions of the complex. Firefighters remained on-site for several hours to douse hot spots and inspect the charred remains of the building.
Resident Kenny Minea was among those forced out of his home. He said he initially ignored the fire alarm when he woke up because he suspected it was a false alarm.
“I woke up around 4 a.m. to the fire alarm. Sometimes, residents will pull it just for no reason, so I was like, ‘I’m just going to try to sleep,’” Minea said. He quickly realized the situation was serious after checking the hallway.
“I opened my door, and there was smoke, and I was like, ‘We need to evacuate,’” he said. Minea escaped with his pets and waited outside until his mother arrived to help him in the latter part of the morning, around 8 a.m.
Another evacuee, Jamarr Montgomery, spoke to KIRO 7 and said he also escaped the building unharmed after being alerted by his dog and unusual sounds in his apartment.
“All of a sudden, it sounded like pots and pans were banging around. My dog got up and started growling and barking,” Montgomery said. “So, I’m like getting up, trying to figure out what that was, and I look out the window, and you start to see some of the embers and some of the flames.”
He described the urgency of the moment as he was trying to grab his wife, grab his dog, and get out of the house.
Emergency crews were seen spraying down the charred wreckage on the rear of one segment of the apartment complex. The firefighters were seen walking through areas with damaged floors and walls; some balcony supports also appeared to have collapsed.
While the fire appeared to be contained, the severity of the damage was most visible from the rear of the apartment complex, where the flames gutted the units.
Montgomery noted that while he did not see flames shooting up initially, he could see smoke billowing from one unit.
Montgomery expressed his gratitude to the Everett Fire Department and Everett Police Department for their quick response.
The cause remains under investigation.
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