Investigators in Kitsap County are trying to find out what caused a fast-moving fire that claimed one man's life.
Firefighters say by the time they arrived at the scene there was no way they could get into the home to rescue anyone inside.
Neighbors said they heard shouting then walked outside as flames fully engulfed the structure.
“When I came out I saw, you know a lot of smoke (and) flames. It looked like a really hot fire,” neighbor Cheryl Millard told KIRO 7’s Kevin McCarty.
At least one man tried to get into the home as it burned, hoping to rescue anyone inside.
“Ed went into the house to see if he could get in there because he knew that the gentleman was home, and he was getting burned so he had to come back out,” neighbor Karen Kerkes said.
Firefighters took up defensive positions because they were unable to get inside the home due to the intensity of the fire.
After the flames were finally doused, the firefighters found someone inside who had apparently become trapped by flames.
“Once they were able to get the fire extinguished enough to make entry, that’s when we did discover that there’s at least one fatality,” Ileana LiMarzi of Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue said.
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