One dead in early-morning house fire in Burien

BURIEN, Wash. — Firefighters fought an early-morning house fire in Burien on New Year’s Eve. Sadly, one person has died.

Puget Sound Fire crews first responded to the home in the Salmon Creek neighborhood around 2 a.m.

Firefighters were told there might be someone inside the home, but entrance to the house proved difficult because of the large amount of belongings both inside and outside the house.

Crews tried going inside in various ways, including via a ladder to the second floor to get to the bedroom, but due to a partial roof collapse and the “increased fire load” inside the house, it was unsafe for firefighters to enter the home. Crews fought the fire defensively until daybreak.

Once the sun rose and crews could better see what they were dealing with, they were able to knock down the majority of the fire and get inside the home.

They found one person upstairs who had passed away.

Ten to twelve fire department units responded to the fire, and the King County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating the cause.

Fire crews were at the scene throughout the morning handling hot spots and the investigation, adding that they appreciated the patience of the neighborhood as they cleaned up.

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