House Fire
Seattle Real Estate | Gerhard Ade
A house fire, one year later
“There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported during this incident.”
So ends the incident report prepared by the City of Bothell’s fire department. It all began with an alarm on Sunday, October 14, 2018, at 2:41 pm. Eight minutes later, Engine 42 arrived at the scene. The scene was 15805 119th Avenue Northeast in Bothell.
Smoke was visible from I-405.
“While in route, dispatch upgraded the response to a confirmed house fire due to receiving multiple calls. Based upon the information from dispatch, I upgraded the response to a confirmed working fire. While in route, smoke was visible from I-405.” notes one of the firefighters in the report.
This past weekend, on October 26th, I met one of the neighbors who called 911 to report the house fire. She was not the only neighbor who came to the open house. Having observed the rebuilding of the home over the past twelve months, many neighbors were curious about the home that was now for sale.
Fifty percent of all house fires start in the kitchen.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 50% of all reported fires started in the kitchen. Most house fires occur between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. In the case of the Bothell home fire, the origin of the house fire was a mechanical malfunction of the stove. In the incident report, under the heading “Human Factors Contributing to Ignition” the “None” box was checked. The report also states that smoke alarms were installed.
There was no inattentive cook as is the case with many fires that start in the kitchen. Leaving the kitchen while cooking is never a good idea. See the attached pdf for more of the DONT DO THIS while cooking tips.
It is now a brand new home.
Speaking of the kitchen, it is brand new, as is almost everything about the home. Only the foundation, the majority of the external walls, and the garage doors date back to 1972. The home has been custom rebuilt to 2019 code and lifestyle. The homeowner’s insurance paid for restoring the home to its original condition. The homeowner wisely chose to upgrade the home’s design and finishes. The work was performed by Statewide Restoration. The formerly 4-bedroom upstairs now features a master suite, and the fourth bedroom is downstairs. Here’s the link with all the details about this Bothell home.
Take the virtual tour.
Last weekend, the original homeowner, now ninety years old, came to the open house. He sold the home to the current owner in 2013. When I helped the current owner with the purchase of the home, we were impressed with the garden. It was a joy to meet the man who planted it.
Unfortunately, the efforts to extinguish the house fire and rebuild the home had left their mark on the yard front and back. The yard has been restored, but the buyer of this Bothell home will have to wait until spring to enjoy the flowers planted by the original owner in years past. In the meantime, you can take the virtual tour.
