8-foot alligator found dead in wreckage of Lake Stevens house fire

8-foot alligator found dead in wreckage of Lake Stevens house fire

A Lake Stevens home was deemed a total loss after a fire tore through it early Friday morning.

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. - A Lake Stevens home was deemed a total loss after a fire tore through it early Friday morning. 

Everyone was able to get out safely, but the occupants told firefighters that there may have been an eight-foot alligator that escaped the burning home.  

The fire started around 2:30 a.m. near 8000 Vernon Road. When crews arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames and wires on the ground posed a risk to firefighters. 

When crews were able to put the fire out and look through the wreckage, they learned that the alligator did not escape and died in the fire. 

The Snohomish County Fire Marshals will be investigating the cause of the fire. Multiple agencies responded. 

Owning an alligator is illegal in the state of Washington.