More than 100 residents were displaced by a New Year’s Eve fire at an Everett apartment complex. The cause is under investigation.
A fire that started Thursday night in a mattress killed a man, sent 12 people to the hospital and displaced more than 100 residents of an Everett apartment complex.
Two adults were critically hurt and were at Harborview Medical Center on Friday.
The fire at The Bluffs at Evergreen, 2 W. Casino Road, was reported about 7:10 p.m. The cause is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected, said Eric Hicks, assistant fire marshal for the Everett Fire Department.
Firefighters and medics treated 15 people, including at least two children, for smoke inhalation, burns or injuries suffered from being dropped from upper-story windows. Twelve of the 15 were taken to hospitals.
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The identity of the man who was killed had not been determined as of Friday morning, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross were helping to relocate those who were displaced. People were allowed back into parts of the complex Friday morning to retrieve valuables.
Crews arriving at the fire Thursday night saw flames and smoke coming from the building. More than 90 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded from Everett and surrounding communities.
“The building was not equipped with a fire-sprinkler system,” Hicks said Friday. “It’s an older building, and there are many like them all over the region.” The fire quickly spread to the attic and through the building.
Seven of the building’s 30 units were damaged by fire, and the rest by water and smoke. Crews were still at the scene Friday morning, Hicks said, to watch for flare-ups from any hot spots.
An emergency shelter was established at a nearby church. Everett Transit provided two buses for temporary shelter at the scene and to take residents to the church.