MERCER ISLAND, Wash. — Five people are displaced, and two dogs are missing after an early-morning house fire on Mercer Island.
Eastside Fire and Rescue says they received over 30 calls at around 1 a.m. to report hearing an explosion and a fire at a home near Lakeridge Elementary School. Some reported seeing fire spreading to grass and fences nearby.
Arriving crews found “heavy fire conditions” at a multi-story residence and had to take up a defensive position to save nearby structures from being exposed to the flames, according to Eastside Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jon Wiseman.
Wiseman reported seeing lots of sparks coming from the fire, and residents as far as Seattle could see the thick cloud of smoke as the house burned.
Firefighters ensured all occupants got out of the home safely, adding that five people were now displaced from this single-family residence.
Two dogs were also in the home at the time of the fire, but Wiseman says the family believes both dogs were able to get out.
Wiseman and the family asked Mercer Island neighbors to keep an eye out for the two dogs: a small dog and a labradoodle.
The home was built on a hill, making the landscape challenging for firefighters to get around and prompting Eastside Fire to maintain a defensive strategy for over two hours.
Eastside Fire Public Information Officer Catherine Imboden says that the access issues and fire intensity also prompted fire officials to upgrade to a two-alarm response.
“The second alarm was struck to help protect surrounding structures and put out spot fires,” added Imboden.
By around 4 a.m., crews had control over the fire, but said they’d likely be working on suppressing any flames well into the morning and possibly into the afternoon.
“The house does look like it’s destroyed; we’re still assessing to what level, but that’s what it looks like,” said Wiseman.
By around 8:30 a.m., Imboden confirmed that the small dog had been found and reunited with the family, while the labradoodle remained missing.
The Red Cross has been contacted to assist the five people displaced, and the King County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation into the cause of the fire.
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