For the Reporter
A stove top fire that rapidly spread to the kitchen cabinets and into the wall displaced a family of three from their Kent Valley apartment Tuesday afternoon.
The fire at the apartment in the 700 block of State Street was reported at 3:24 p.m., dispatching Kent Fire Department RFA emergency units to the scene.
Two Kent Police officers arrived first and began evacuating and searching the building for residents needing assistance.
The first-arriving fire department unit reported smoke from the windows, eaves and in the hallway on the second floor and immediately upgraded the call to a “working fire,” bringing additional help from Valley Regional Fire Authority (Auburn), South King County Fire and Rescue and Tukwila Fire Department to the scene.
Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the fire and began searching for hidden fire in the walls and ceilings.
The police officers that helped evacuate the building suffered smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene.
One resident of the apartment building suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene and then transported to a local hospital as a precaution.
Ten firefighters suffered dehydration due to the summer-like heat and were also treated at the scene.
The displaced family is receiving housing and other assistance from the American Red Cross.
The Kent Fire Investigator has ruled the stove top fire as accidental and has assessed the damage at approximately $75,000.
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