An early morning shed fire damaged a home on Kent’s Easthill.
The shed, which was about 10 feet from the home, was completely destroyed by the fire. The home, located in the 27500 block of 118th Avenue Southeast, sustained damage to the vinyl siding from the radiant heat generated by the fire. The homeowner said the home has been without power since Wednesday and the family has been using a portable generator to power the home. He said at a little before 5:00 this morning he heard a pop and went he went out to investigate the noise and found his backyard shed completely involved in fire. He noticed that the siding on the house was starting to melt so he evacuated his family from the home and called 911.
The first arriving Kent Fire Department fire engine reported the shed fully involved in fire. While the first fire engine worked to extinguish the fire and cool the vinyl siding, other fire department emergency units checked for fire extension to the interior of the home. No fire extension was found. The shed was completely extinguished within 10 minutes.
The Kent Fire Investigator determined the cause of the fire to be combustible items to close to the exhaust of the portable generator. The fire has been ruled as accidental. Damage to the shed, its contents and the exterior damage to the home has been estimated at $14,000.
No injuries were reported to the residents or firefighters.
FIRE SAFETY TIP: When using a portable gas fired generator provide at least 5 feet of clearance between the generator exhaust pipe and any combustibles. The hot exhaust gases can heat combustibles hot enough to ignite.
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