Kirkland Firefighters Aid in Woodinville Apartment Fire; 12 Displaced

This article was reported and written by Lisa Baumann. 

Kirkland firefighters were on scene Tuesday, May 28, at a fire that started just before noon in an apartment complex near the Woodinville Park and Ride on the 17900 block of 140 Lane NE. Damage from the blaze has caused residents from several units to be temporarily displaced, fire officials said.

Kirkland ladder 27 and engine 27 assisted in the two-alarm blaze, and said 12 residents were displaced, but no one was injured.

The fire, at Cornerstone Village apartments, was reported at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, May 28. By the time fire crews arrived, everyone had been evacuated from the building, according to David Weed with Woodinville Fire & Rescue.

Margery Nelson, who lives in one of the units that suffered damage, said at the scene that her neighbor came down banging on her door.

"I opened my patio door, looked up and saw this fire," she said. "It was terrifying."

Nelson didn't have time to find her Siamese cat, Beau, before leaving the building.

Fire officials said no one was injured in the blaze and that one cat was rescued and that two others, including Beau, were still missing as of about 1 p.m. Fire investigators were on their way to the scene and Weed said he didn't yet know the cause of the fire or an estimate of damage to the building.

Nelson said from what she could tell, her unit had water damage and smelled like smoke.

"It will be OK," she said, adding that she thought her cat would come back.

The Seattle Chapter of the American Red Cross was going to help the residents with temporary shelter.