Family displaced, loses possessions in fire 6 days before Christmas

SEATAC -- A family of five lost nearly all of their belongings -- including Christmas gifts -- in a fire Thursday that heavily damaged their house in SeaTac, a fire department official said.

The fire in the 16600 block of 32nd Avenue South was first reported at 10:47 a.m, said Capt. Kyle Ohashi, public information officer for the Kent and SeaTac fire departments.

"When firefighters arrived, they found fire coming from the back of the house and smoke from along the eaves. It took the firefighters from SeaTac, the Port of Seattle, and Tukwila approximately one hour to fully extinguish the fire," Ohashi said.

No one was home at the time of the fire, he said, and the family was notified by a neighbor of the fire.

Cause of the fire is still undetermined, he said.

"A fire like this is devastating at any time, but especially during the holidays," Ohashi said. "The family reported that they lost all their gifts along with their other possessions. Firefighters from the SeaTac and Kent fire departments will replace the gifts that were lost. The family of five, which includes a 5-year old, is being cared for by Red Cross."

Ohashi said one firefighter suffered a minor injury while battling the blaze.