Fire breaks out at Bellevue apartment complex as SWAT negotiates with barricaded suspect

An apartment complex in Bellevue was on fire Tuesday afternoon after Bellevue police officers and SWAT negotiated with a barricaded suspect, according to the Bellevue Police Department.

Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to the report of a person allegedly involved in a domestic violence situation in the 1600 block of 156th Avenue Northeast.

After several hours of negotiating with the person, a fire broke out.

“I heard the police yelling, ‘fire, fire!’ And everything just quickly escalated from there,” Cody Thetford said on Wednesday. “Definitely had a scare for a moment, where I thought I was going to be (displaced). Packed up some of my important stuff.”

Officers emptied several fire extinguishers inside the unit attempting to put out the flames, but the fire grew quickly. Finally, the suspect came out and surrendered and was taken into custody. At least one officers suffered from smoke inhalation. pic.twitter.com/FYX3y4PuZj
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) August 2, 2023

According to Bellevue police, while attempting to put out the fire, officers emptied several fire extinguishers inside the apartment.

Eventually, the person came out and surrendered to the police.

At least three officers suffered from smoke inhalation.

Details on the domestic disturbance are still unclear, but a resident named Kenneth told KIRO 7 it happened in his unit.

“My son set my apartment on fire,” Kenneth said on Wednesday. “He was hollering at me, trying to push me... My home is messed up, so I don’t have nowhere to go.”

Other residents in livable units claimed their utilities weren’t working properly, but are seeing progress.

Three officers were treated for smoke inhalation as they attempted to put the fire out. They are sore, but thankfully OK.
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) August 2, 2023

Firefighters with the Bellevue Fire Department also worked the fire, which caused significant damage to the building.

On Tuesday night the Red Cross said they opened an emergency shelter in response to the fire in the Overlake at Park Presbyterian Church at 1836 156th Avenue Northeast. The Red Cross said there will be food, cots, and other urgent needs at the shelter.