Large East Hill apartment fire injures 2, displaces 30

For the Reporter

A three-alarm apartment fire on Kent’s East Hill early Friday morning injured two residents when they jumped from a third-floor balcony to escape the growing flames, the Kent Fire Department reported.

Medic One paramedics treated and stabilized an injured man and woman at the scene before they were transported to a local hospital for further treatment.

The fire severely damaged six apartment units, rendering them uninhabitable, fire officials said. Fourteen other units 14 units received heat, smoke and water damage and may be habitable within the next few days, officials said.

The Red Cross and the apartment management are providing housing assistance to the residents.

The broke out around 2:06 a.m. at the Mosaic Hills apartments in the 23600 block of 108th Avenue Southwest.

Responding firefighters reported the smoke column from the fire was visible from over eight blocks away. The first-arriving fire department unit reported heavy fire and thick smoke visible on one side of the building.

Due to the size of the building and the large number of residents, a second alarm was called immediately to increase the number of emergency responders and apparatus. With the fire rapidly spreading, a third alarm was called. Approximately 15 emergency units from the Kent Fire Department RFA, and Renton and Tukwila fire departments responded to the blaze.

The fire was called “extinguished” at 4:40 this morning,

The building, which was constructed in 1979, was not required to have a fire sprinkler or fire alarm system at that time, fire officials said.

Residents of the building were alerted to the fire when neighbors ran and knocked on each door to get them out the building.

The Kent Fire Investigators have not been able to enter the building to determine the cause due the instability of the structure from the fire damage.

Work is ongoing to shore up the unstable portions of the building.

No firefighters were reported injured at this fire.