Discarded cigarettes spark two Federal Way residential fires | Video

Published 1:43 pm Wednesday, July 1, 2015

In two days, at least five families in Federal Way have been displaced because of residential fires caused by discarded cigarettes.

According to Capt. Jeff Bellinghausen with South King Fire and Rescue, three apartment units were burned at the Enchanted Woods apartment complex at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Located at 2020 S. 360th St., a resident had put out a cigarette on the deck of a third-floor unit. It caught fire, burning the roofs and attic of the units, displacing four adults and 10 children total. No one was injured.

At 8 p.m. on Monday, a nearly identical situation.

In the 33200 block of 44th Ave. S., two houses caught fire after a lady put out a cigarette on her porch, Bellinghausen said. 

The vinyl siding of the house ignited and jumped to the next house.

“Vinyl is a petroleum product and it burns like crazy,” Bellinghausen said. “If that had been a house with hardy plank – another very common siding material – it would have been singed but not up in flames.”

The two houses suffered damage on the siding and in the attic but the living quarters were fairly intact.

Bellinghausen said the rough estimated damage is worth around $300,000.

That fire displaced 11 adults and four children, who were first assisted by Red Cross.

“Make sure [cigarettes] are fully extinguished,” Bellinghausen said. “Don’t be careless but that’s really what these things are.”

He noted that often people will put out cigarettes in potted plants, which is a huge fire hazard as the dirt and bark can be very flammable in the summer.

Also a contributing factor is the hot, dry weather.

“If this had been a typical June or July, their deck would have been soggy when everything’s not bone dry,” he said.

Bellinghausen said there will be a community meeting at the residence affected by Monday’s fire to go over fire safety and other precautions before the Fourth of July, which often results in more fires due to illegal fireworks. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 at 33233 44th Ave. S. in Federal Way. For more information about fire safety, visit southkingfire.org.

Photos and video are depict the house fires that occurred on Monday, June 29. Courtesy of South King Fire and Rescue