Improperly discarded cigarettes caused a Kent condominium fire in the 23400 block of 102nd Avenue Southeast shortly after midnight on Friday.
A 911 caller reported the fire at 12:28 a.m. The fire started on a second-floor balcony of the three-story building, according to a Kent Regional Fire Authority media release. The fire spread into a chimney chase that contained the ducting for fireplaces in six units and moved up into the attic.
When firefighters arrived from the Kent and Renton RFAs, they found the second and third story balconies on fire and flames also coming from the chase. The residents of the five occupied units were able to escape safely.
It took approximately an hour to fully extinguish the fire in the chimney chase due to accessibility.
Because the fire was primarily on the exterior of the building, no residents were displaced, though they were forced to wait outside for several hours while firefighters worked to extinguish all of the heat sources.
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