Firefighter injured in fireworks-related Federal Way house fire

Published 12:09 pm Monday, July 6, 2015

A South King Fire and Rescue firefighter was injured on Fourth of July while battling a house fire.

Firefighters responded to a house located in the 900 block of SW 346th Court in Federal Way after a 911 call came in at 3:38 p.m. that day.

Firefighters pulled down the ceiling to make sure there was no fire between the sheet rock and roofing, according to Capt. Jeff Bellinghausen with South King Fire and Rescue.

As they pulled it down, an adjacent panel, which was wet from being extinguished, came down and “smacked a firefighter on the head.”

The dazed firefighter sustained a minor neck injury and is recovering at home after being checked out by a doctor.

The home sustained an estimated $350,000 in damages with the majority of damage stemming from the roof.

Bellinghausen said the fire marshal investigated the cause of the fire and ruled out everything but fireworks, as the fire had started on the outside of the roof.

“The takeaway from this is get renter’s insurance,” Bellinghausen said, noting the occupant lost a significant amount of their belongings in the fire.

The hot and dry Fourth of July weekend mixed with fireworks resulted in many brushfires in Federal Way, Bellinghausen said. At 4 a.m. on July 5, firefighters responded to a grass fire 20-by-50-feet in size on the BPA Trail.

“A little after 4 a.m., our neighbor calls and says ‘Fire on the BPA Trail,’” wrote Federal Way resident Bruce Honda. “Nothing clears your head and things go into automatic response mode.”

But firefighters were able to extinguish that fire fairly quickly.

Bellinghausen said South King Fire and Rescue responded to 30 fires from July 1-5, 17 of which were related to fireworks.

The house-fire on Fourth of July sustained significant roof damage. Courtesy of South King Fire and Rescue