A Kent apartment fire Tuesday morning in the 24600 block of Russell Road displaced six families from their homes after flames heavily damaged a third-floor unit.
A mattress left up against a wall heater caused the accidental fire, said Kyle Ohashi, Kent Fire Department spokesman, in an email.
The first 911 calls came in at 8:54 a.m. and the smoke column was visible for miles, according to a Kent Fire Department media release.
No one was injured in the fire and no one was home in the apartment where the fire started. A family of four in an adjacent third-story unit was forced to evacuate their home.
Kent Police contacted all of the other residents on the first and second floors to ensure that no one remained inside.
Firefighters from the Kent Fire Department and South King Fire and Rescue were able to confine the fire to the apartment where it started, but water from the firefighting damaged several other units. All of the affected families will be rehoused by the complex’s management.
King County Medic One and the Zone 3 Fire Explorers also responded to the scene and assisted with firefighter rehabilitation.
There was at least one smoke alarm in the apartment where the fire started, but it is unknown if it was working.
A fire also damaged an apartment Monday in the 23900 block of 60th Avenue South, about one mile from the Tuesday fire.
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