A woman suffered injuries after a cigarette accidentally ignited furniture in her Kent apartment at about 7:45 p.m. Monday in the 24500 block of 64th Avenue South.
Two Kent Police officers rescued the woman from her burning second-floor apartment after they heard her calling for help, according to a Kent Regional Fire Authority media release. Paramedics transported the woman to a local hospital.
Kent firefighters were initially dispatched to the apartment after the fire activated a sprinkler head in the unit and triggered a water flow alarm. Fire officials upgraded the incident to a commercial building fire when 911 calls reported smoke and flames coming from the apartment window.
The sprinkler system extinguished much of the fire and kept the fire from spreading to other units, fire officials said. Smoke damaged three floors and several residents in the building were displaced due to water damage in their units. Red Cross and SHAG (Senior Housing Assistance Group) assisted the residents with temporary housing.
In addition to a cigarette catching furniture on fire, the use of home oxygen by the woman also fed the fire and caused it to spread quickly, fire officials said.
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