LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A 15-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were killed when a townhouse in Lynnwood caught fire on Sunday afternoon, fire officials said.
The two-alarm fire was reported around 2:40 p.m. on the 6700 block of 196th Street SW.
South County Fire Interim Chief Doug Dahl said two children were found dead inside the apartment after the fire was extinguished. The boy and the teen were siblings who were visiting the home.
An 11-year-old boy, a man and a woman who were in the apartment when the fire broke out escaped. The boy was sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation and has since been released. The man and woman were not injured.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries.
Neighbors said that a man helped save the young boy from the building by breaking through a window.
Chief Dahl said the parents of the children were not home at the time of the fire. It is unknown if the children were under supervision.
“This is going to be a long night,” Chief Dahl said. “It’s a slow process. We’ve got investigators along with ATF that will come out and help us due to the nature of the call.”
Fire officials said the fire was knocked down within about 10 minutes after they arrived. Around 45 firefighters responded to the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.