Published January 8 2018
Last Friday’s early morning apartment fire on the city’s south side has now turned fatal. The adult victim who was treated and transported by Bellevue Fire’s Medic 2 paramedics ultimately succumbed to injuries and passed away Sunday, Jan. 7.
Friday morning at 5:41 a.m. Bellevue firefighters were dispatched to reports of a fire at a south Bellevue apartment complex in the 14500 block of SE 24th Street.
Engine 2 was first to arrive at the scene. Firefighters quickly located the first floor apartment fire as well as an adult victim within the apartment. CPR was initiated immediately.
The small fire, which was caused by smoking materials that ignited common household combustible materials, was rapidly extinguished and contained to a single bedroom within the apartment. Although the fire was relatively small, the incident demonstrates how any fire can quickly produce enough smoke and toxic gases to be deadly.
Damage is estimated at $10,000. The victim’s apartment did have working smoke alarms which alerted neighboring residents who called 911.
The National Fire Protection Agency statistics reveal that smoking materials are the leading cause of home fire fatalities.
If you smoke, please be cautious and use smoking materials safely. For safety tips regarding smoking materials, please visit:
http://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Safety-tip-sheets/SmokingSafety.pdf